Winter
by Varethane
Summary: AU: Kagome could have simply turned around and gone back upstairs, leaving Miroku alone to deal with an unconscious hanyou in the back seat of his car. But no one ever said Kagome always took the easy way out… [Warning: language]
1. Fog

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

And, to quell any rather disturbing thoughts before they even arise: this is not an Inuyasha/Miroku fic (Inuyasha yaoi? Oh dear. Something is amiss). Nor is it a Kagome/Miroku fic. I don't really use non-canon pairings, I dunno why. But this is all canon pairings, unless otherwise specified.

**:00:00:**

It was a cold, miserable night. It had been snowing all day long, small white flakes landing on every available surface and sticking to create a thin white layer on the world. But as night fell, the temperature had contrarily risen, until the falling snowflakes had become fat raindrops that turned the snow into heavy slush. Dense fog hung over everything, obscuring the shapes of the trees.

A small, country road, about as close as a road could be to dirt without actually being so, wound through these trees. The sludge that had once been snow was still predominantly white and pristine; few cars passed this way. The road led from nowhere to nowhere, a connection between two places that were hardly likely to ever need that connection.

A small blue car sped through the slush, exceeding the posted speed limit by at least twenty kilometers per hour in spite of the dismal road conditions. Slush sprayed from beneath its tires, arcing through the air behind it and leaving a sort of wake behind it, a wake that froze into a faintly brownish crest the moment it hit the earth. The wind of its passing created streamers in the mist, wisps of stray fog blowing aside momentarily before swaying back into place. And still the car sped on, barely in control, leaving wide tracks as it turned a corner and kept driving.

Miroku gripped the steering wheel with white-knuckled hands, glaring through the fogged windshield of his car. Not enough… not enough that his entire life had been ripped apart just as surely as his father's laboratory had been. Not enough that everything he had once held dear was gone, erased with one careless stroke of fate. No, he just had to receive that one piece of crucial information… that bastard just had to have _told_ him before he died. Why couldn't he have just kept his damn mouth shut?

_No_, his mind tried to tell him through the chaos, _you'd be even more miserable if he had kept silent. After all, those _were_ your father's last words, of a sort_…

He kept his eyes fixed on the blur that was the road ahead. It was very late, past midnight probably, though he'd turned off all the lights on the dashboard so it would be impossible to tell for sure. The clock was probably broken anyway; he'd felt something inside of it burst loose when he'd first gotten into the car, shaking and desperate, and had flicked the knob to turn off the displays. He didn't know how long he'd been driving, trying to get away from it all, away from the mess that had once been his life, but chances were that it had been long enough. People back in the city ought to be worried by now, wondering where he'd gone.

Or maybe they just thought he'd died in the explosion, along with his dear father. There was a good chance that this was the case. Mushin ought to have told people by now how Miroku had run to the lab just before the accident, and that was the last anyone had seen of him. They would search the ruins. They might even find his father's body. They wouldn't find anything of Miroku, except maybe for a few drops of blood where he'd tripped while running and sliced his hand on some broken glass. But that wouldn't indicate an actual death. No, his absence would be the main reason for any rumours.

But that was all right. As long as nothing followed him. He didn't think he would be able to take it if something was to come up now…

If only he could escape the rest of it, though. The burning sensation of the power, that he knew he would feel if he put his hand anywhere near the ofuda hidden in the glove compartment. For some reason only his right hand could work the things; well, he wouldn't complain about that, not after what he'd heard.

_Why_? he found himself asking again. _Why did he have to tell me that_… suddenly, fiercely, he pushed those thoughts away, down into a deep corner of his mind. "Stop thinking," he told himself, his voice weak, shaking. "Thinking and driving is a dangerous combination."

He tried to laugh, and after a couple of tries he managed it, but unfortunately also managed to nearly make the car swerve off the slippery road. He barely managed to maintain his control over the vehicle, and when he finally left his adrenaline-induced haze, he realized he was still laughing.

It sounded like something Mushin would have said, if 'thinking' were replaced with some sort of alcoholic beverage. Mushin had very few cares in the world. Miroku happened to be one of them. Miroku's father had been, too, but… well, Miroku's father no longer existed. He would have to get used to that. he could still remember the old man, taking a long swig of liquor and in the same breath start in on Miroku about the sins of alcohol. It had confused him, the first time he'd met the man. Now, it made him laugh.

Well, that life was over now. He had to go forward. Maybe to another city, where he could settle down, find a girl perhaps, and forget about the whole business. Yes. And the girl would be pretty: now that would be a definite plus.

His mind was almost painfully easy to distract. Having finally, after all these hours, found something to think about other than his own misery, he settled back in the driver's seat and pictured the girl he would meet; pushing his worries, yet again, to the dark corner of his mind he had designated for them. Girls had always been his passion, at least they had been before…

No, for his dream girl simply pretty wasn't the right word. She would be beautiful, all curves with no hard edges, and delicate features. Her eyes… well, that was easy. A deep, warm chocolate brown, smooth and sensual, easy to get lost in. And as for the rest of her…

He didn't realize that he'd stopped paying attention to what was visible within the veil of fog before him until he noticed that the dark shape he had taken to be a tree was moving too much to be a plant. In fact, it was moving across the road.

In fact, it was directly in front of his car, and as he continued to speed forwards, he could see its distinctly human shape, and caught a brief glimpse of a startled face before he was stepping on the brakes with all the force he could muster.

"Oh, shit!" he yelped as the car didn't stop. The wheels weren't even skidding, they were simply sliding along through the slush, and the car wasn't going any slower. Frantically he turned the wheel hard to the left, thankful that he was in the middle of nowhere and, thus, there were no other cars to worry about. It fishtailed wildly, the back end sliding quickly to catch up to the front and then past, the vehicle finally beginning to slow down just as he thought it would go off the road.

When the car had slid to a slow, slippery stop without hitting anything, he pried his fingers away from the steering wheel and simply sat for long moments, just breathing. Suddenly the details of what had just transpired hit him and he threw open the door of the car and was storming out, all in one angry motion.

"Hey, idiot, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled. "In case you didn't notice, this is a highway, not some little walkway!"

He was about to continue when the person, who at first had simply stood there staring at him, staggered sideways and fell to their knees with a definitely masculine grunt that was at odds with the person's long, pale blond hair.

_Oh, great, he's drunk_, thought Miroku with a measure of disgust. He had seen Mushin drunk, many times, and never thought anything of it; but at this moment, the thought of a drunken stranger forcing him to slow down filled him with loathing. But it seemed that this didn't matter anyway—it took Miroku barely another second to see the red tinge to the snow beneath the strange man's feet.

_No, not drunk… he's hurt_, Miroku realized, even as the man groaned and began to slip sideways. "Oi! No you don't!" he shouted out, and before he could stop himself he had lunged forwards and caught the man around the shoulders, preventing him from falling.

He peered into the stranger's pain-stricken face, trying to determine whether he was still conscious, when a sudden flash of recognition burst into his mind. He… knew this man?

Beneath a fringe of pale hair, amber eyes opened briefly. Miroku froze as familiarity washed over him. Yes, he definitely knew him. But… from where?

The stranger was squinting at him, as if he couldn't quite see properly. "Nnh… Miroku?" he said faintly.

Miroku gasped. "You… I do know you!" As the feeling of familiarity intensified, he shifted his gaze to the long hair that hung nearly all the way to the boy's waist, hair that in his panic he had taken to be blond. It was matted slightly with blood, but the colour was unmistakeable.

Silver. Definitely silver. The feeling of familiarity was growing stronger…

"I thought you never swore, bouzu," murmured the other man—no, _boy_, if he was right about the stranger's identity, this kid couldn't be older than eighteen—before the pale eyes closed again.

**:00:00:**

All was darkness. She was lost in the darkness, couldn't see anything, but at the same time she could hear… she could feel… she was sure that she should be very confused at this moment, but she couldn't. Something inside her knew what was going on.

"You saw the look in his eyes, didn't you," murmured a soft voice. Low, menacing—why did she trust the voice? She had a very strong feeling that she shouldn't, but something was blocking out her suspicion. Uncertainty clouded all of her thoughts. "Greedy, covetous… he wants it, dear. You have to realize that someday. He wants that jewel more than he wants you and that's a fact."

"No!" She didn't want to believe that. Couldn't. "No, I don't…"

But the voice kept going. She might as well not have been there. In fact, she had the odd feeling that she wasn't.

"I'm truly sorry, dearest, but… I'd been hoping I wouldn't have to show you this." A rustle of paper. "I knew it would hurt…"

All was darkness. She had the very strange feeling of unreality, that something was amiss, that she really shouldn't be here, almost as if she was intruding. But the awful uncertainty, the suspicion that turned her stomach, it was so strong… there was no way this could be fake.

The darkness began to move, a whirl of black within pitch, and suddenly power such as she had never felt before was burning through her veins. It stung at her skin, making her feel on fire… no, like she _was_ fire, it came from within her, deep within. But the fire would remain untouched for this, this last of jobs… she'd meant to use it in the beginning, she knew that much, but the voice was too insistent. There was coldness in her hands, something hard, metallic. Her finger curled around something slender within a cage of metal, like a wire had been wound in a circle and she was pressing her index finger to one side of it. A deep sorrow nestled in the pit of her stomach, surrounded by so much loathing, hatred and… yes, the uncertainty was still there, too. Whatever happened next, she was deeply afraid.

"Hey," said a soft voice—a familiar voice—even though at the same time she knew she'd never heard it before in her life. And before she could do anything, before the mess of feelings inside her had the chance to change, her arm was moving, swinging upwards even though her mind was suddenly screaming to stop.

_Why_? she wondered dully. _What am I doing_? Her finger was tightening, the cold circle of metal wrapped around it was still there, digging into her flesh, and sound ripped through her ears. The darkness vanished in a flare of pinkish violet, revealing just the faintest glimpse of silver, and amber eyes wide with shock and desperation… and the deep, red hue of blood…

**:0:**

Kagome Higurashi sat up in her bed, the sheets twisted around her ankles, and shivered immediately.

_Ahh! It's so cold_! she hissed in her mind as she wrapped her arms around herself. _Well, it sure suits that dream I just had… talk about freaky_! She shivered again as she thought about it, but at the same time couldn't help the curiosity that grew within her. Even in dreams, she hated cliffhangers—and this was an exceptionally bad one. Occasionally, when she woke up in the middle of a dream, if she managed to get back to sleep again right away the dream would continue. And this particular one seemed familiar somehow… Maybe she'd had it before.

She was on the verge of climbing back beneath the thick duvet and falling back asleep when she realized how cold it was. _Too cold_. Standing, she shivered as she looked around before putting on a pair of white slippers and noticing that her breath was misting in the air. _Too bad mum is washing my robe_… she thought, rubbing her arms through her flimsy pyjama shirt. She didn't have any clothes that were truly suited to the severe winters they received up in the countryside, and it was definitely chilly inside the house. She turned on the light, a small lamp that sat nestled between an alarm clock and a box of tissues, but it didn't help any.

Looking at the window, she noticed that the snow that had been piled on the sill during the day was gone, and streaks of water ran down the glass. Walking over slowly, her slippers making soft shushing noises against her beige carpet, she pressed her nose against the window, resisting another shiver at the icy feel of the glass against her face, and looked out.

She couldn't see much. Fog obscured everything farther than the street below her second-story room, and even that was hazy. She could see the dim glow of the nearest streetlight, a pale orange glimmer that shed next to no light on the street.

Looking down at the front of her own house, she gasped suddenly. Was that a curtain blowing around? She tried to lean forwards, earning herself a soft bump as her forehead came into contact with the glass. Leaning back in, she could just see the end of a soft blue curtain being blown about by the wind, a curtain she recognized—as it happened to be attached to the front window in the shop her mother and grandfather managed, the shop that occupied the entire lower level of the house.

"Oh, darn it!" she said aloud, and turned quickly to run to her door. In this weather, she could only assume that they'd forgotten to shut the window before closing the shop, though why the window would be open in the first place was beyond her—it had been snowing all day long. Perhaps it had blown open…?

She hurried down the stairs, unlocking the door at the bottom that led to the smallish bookstore. Her mother was always worrying about the shop, one of the reasons why Kagome had offered to work for her instead of looking for a different job. The other reasons were that Aneston was too small a town, and no one else had been interested—all of Kagome's friends from school either took the bus in from the neighbouring town of Haughton or had jobs already. Aneston itself wasn't even big enough for its own school. Kagome, wanting to get used to the world of business and jobs, had wanted to try out some sort of work before she graduated and had to do it for real, so her mother had offered her a job at the bookshop, complete with pay. And Kagome had taken it. Perhaps, once she was gone, her younger brother Souta could take her place, and help mum out with the store…

It really was a useful experience, though she hardly intended to go into the field of bookkeeping as a career. Kagome planned on graduating from high school, going to a good university, then finding a job in the big city. Perhaps she could go to university there, too, if it came to that…

The draught of cold air was even stronger downstairs. Kagome closed the door leading to the staircase and ventured farther in. The rows of bookshelves looked somehow ominous in the darkness. She almost thought she could make out shapes among the books, patterns in the different colours of the spines, eerie faces that leered at her.

But she'd been down here before, she'd known these shelves like the back of her own hand ever since she could remember. It was impossible for her to feel afraid here—living in Aneston, nothing bad ever really happened. She hadn't even considered the possibility of a break-in, because it _was_ impossible.Even alone, in the dark, she moved between the shelves without fear.

She found the main power switch beside the door and turned on all five switches, lighting up the store as brightly as if it were daytime. Fully illuminated, the chill in the air felt even more out of place, an unfamiliar sensation in this most familiar of places.

She followed the sensation to the front of the store where, just as she'd suspected, one of the old windows had burst open. The blue curtain was whipping around in the wind ouside, and melted snow mingled with rainwater was streaming in, wetting the walls and ground inside. There was a box of new books sitting just below the window, where her mother had put it before closing up the shop; they were getting a thorough soaking now. She pulled the now-dripping curtain back in before closing the heavy, wood-framed window and latching it at the bottom, noting with some frustration that the wood was half-rotten. They lived in an old house, and it seemed that, no matter how much they renovated or replaced, there was always something else that needed fixing. The extreme weather couldn't be helping either. The bright paint that had been applied to the red bricks making up the outside of the house had been steadily flaking off for weeks, and the fence in the backyard was falling down.

Turning around, she began to survey the damage done to the books. It wasn't looking good for the new merchandise. The box full of new books that had recently arrived was nearly soaked, and she could already see the telltale rippling of the soft covers. Sighing, she lifted the box and began to carry it to the back. They certainly couldn't sell these. Well, that was a loss of good money that her mother had paid to buy these—they were on the best-selling list in the city, apparently, some sort of steamy romance novel.

Suddenly a banging noise broke in on her thoughts. The slight chime that sounded with each bang told her that it was the door currently being assaulted. Perhaps the neighbour's dog was fighting with a wild animal again... that spaniel never would sleep properly at night, not even on a miserable one like this, and whenever it was awake, it seemed to try to keep everyone else up too. Sighing again, she put down the box and turned around—they would have to get the door fixed too, it had to be loose in its frame if jarring it like that would ring the bell.

There was no dog.

Instead, there was a young man standing there, pounding hard on the solid portion of the door, just below the window set into it. He stopped as Kagome turned around. Her eyes widened. If this was a burglar… living in Aneston, her mother had never seen the need to put bars in front of the door to protect against break-ins… but then again, if this was a thief, then why would he be trying _now_, rather than wait until she'd left? Or maybe he was a murderer…

All this ran through her head in a matter of seconds. She hadn't realized she'd frozen until the man, a desperate look in his eyes, started banging again. He mouthed something through the door at her which she couldn't hear, and she noticed with a jolt that he wasn't bad-looking… short black hair (oddly, he wasn't wearing a hat even in the cold weather), a nicely-shaped face (from what she could see through the somewhat hazy glass, anyway). He couldn't be a murderer, she realized—if that were all he was after, he would have just broken down the door and killed her.

The idea that he _could_ have done that already, and could still do it if he took a mind to it, nearly made her freeze again. Instead, she mouthed back to him, 'we're closed!' and pointed to the sign for good measure, before beginning to turn away so that she could pick up the box once more.

The man's eyes darted to the sign and then back up to her, pleadingly, and she stopped turning despite herself. There was a trace of desperation in his dark eyes, something she hadn't seen before. It was an unfamiliar look.

_No, wait_… Suddenly her mind flickered back to the dream she'd had. She could still see those eyes, the last (and only) thing she'd seen before awakening… pale gold, slightly glazed, but still _alive_ with the same expression that she found herself being confronted by right now. The intensity of that look was the final blow to her will.

The man, sensing the change in her attitude, stepped back from the door and waited as she walked slowly over. _Well, no one ever said I was smart_, she thought wryly. Bracing herself slightly—_this is going to be cold_—she unlocked the door and opened it.

Immediately rain hammered in at her, soaking her shoulders almost immediately through the thin fabric of her pyjama shirt. The man's face broadened into a heartfelt grin.

"Thank you!" he shouted at her above the sound of the rapidly rising wind. "Thank you so much, Miss! My friend—he's in the car—this was the only place with lights that I could see, Miss, I'm sorry to bother you—but he needs help badly! I… will you help us?"

She looked past him to a small blue car. It was one of those new designs that looked like nothing so much as a large turtle with wheels. She couldn't see through the windows at all. _Anything_ could be in there...

"Who do I look like?" she yelled back at him. "Of course I'll help! Just get him in here and—"

She hadn't even finished speaking when the man, suddenly ecstatic with relief, was running back to the car.

"Thank you," Miroku muttered to any deity who happened to be listening. He didn't know why he was grinning, the boy was probably dead in the backseat of his car by now, but he couldn't help it, he was just so relieved. He threw open the car's rear door. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

**:00:00:**

Fixed a typo.

Well, there it is, my Inuyasha AU fic. Sorry it's so agsty right at the beginning. It will lighten up… and then it will darken… before lightening once more…Yes, it's an awful cliffhanger, I know, but… well, there'll be another chapter. And soon, with any luck. And, if you happen to stumble across this fic, please review! (And no, I don't like flames. Please don't send them. My ego is fragile enough as it is… just constructive criticism.)

If Miroku seems a bit OOC, that's because of the trauma and all. He'll go back to his normal lecherous self soon enough.

Oh yes; as to the setting, it isn't set in Japan. It doesn't seem very Japanese, does it (except for that one word: bouzu. It basically means 'idiot monk.')? It's not set in America, either, though. I don't think it's a country that exists at the moment... at any rate, it's not important.


	2. Enigma

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

**::00::::00::**

Kagome leaned sideways in her doorway, trying to see what the man was doing. His small blue car didn't have quite as much snow on it as she would have expected—maybe he hadn't been driving for very long? But the next-closest town to Aneston was miles away, and she didn't recognize him (meaning that he didn't live in Aneston; she knew just about everyone who lived in her small town. There weren't many_ to_ remember). He _must_ have come a long way… maybe he'd been speeding, that might explain it... maybe his car got washed off at some point during his trip. She noticed idly that his hair wasn't short at all—in fact, it was longish, and tied back in a small ponytail.

Her mind kept busily humming away as the man turned away from the car's still-open door, now holding another form in his arms, almost bridal-style. Yes, he'd been speeding, that must be it, and then probably that unconscious person he was holding right now was someone he'd hit—_Oh, god!_

Her mind slowed to a halt as the man started walking back to the door, more slowly now, and careful of his burden. She couldn't even feel the cold of the outside air any longer. _Oh, no, he killed someone! There's a dead person, and he's going to bring it into my house! I shouldn't be seeing this! I'm only seventeen, I'm not used to this…_

The stranger stopped abruptly, seeing the look of horror that was undoubtedly plain on her face. "Is it… should I leave?" he asked, worried. The expression on his face nearly sent her into tears.

_Oh, god, of course he's not a murderer… I have to help him! I have to!_ _But... what happened?_ "No, of course not!" she said hurriedly, stepping to one side in the still-open doorway. "C-come in here…"

As the stranger came closer, she moved forwards to help him. The person's head rolled back against the stranger's arm as he was brought inside, a black hat slipping across his forehead. It was a boy, she realized, probably little older than she was, and with strikingly handsome features. Even with his eyes shut and his skin pale, there was a certain delicacy to his face that was rare among men, a softness almost, that gave him a nearly feminine appearance. Closing the door, she bit back the urge to stop moving and just _look_ at him. Very suddenly she noticed the blood.

"Wh-what _happened_?" she asked in shock, even as she helped the stranger to lower the boy to the floor. A very strange feeling of unreality was sweeping over her. This was not the sort of thing she would ever have predicted—_oh, yes, this winter I think I'll find a couple of strangers and let them in my house. _She'd never seen so much blood in one place. This wasn't right. Strangers didn't happen in Aneston. Neither did blood, at least not in such copious amounts. The red stuff was everywhere now, she noticed in a detached sort of way. It had gotten onto the stranger's coat, turning its navy colour into a deep black. It was dripping onto the floor.

"I don't know what happened," said the stranger. His face was nearly as pale as the boy's. "I was just driving. He stepped in front of my car. I think… I think he's been stabbed."

"Stabbed?" demanded Kagome. What was this leading to? Nobody that she knew of would do such a thing, it just didn't happen here… unless this stranger had…

"Not by me," said the stranger, lifting his hands almost defensively. "I didn't see what happened… I don't think either of us will know until he wakes up."

Kagome leaned over the boy, trying to track the source of the red that was beginning to leak onto the green carpet of her mother's bookstore, and suddenly began fumbling with the front of his jacket. The stranger, seeing her intent, assisted her, and together they finally managed to undo the front of the heavy, blood-soaked anorak.

Kagome sat back on her heels, biting her lip. There was a hole in the boy's black shirt beneath the coat, a ragged patch of cloth that glistened in the bookshop's artificial light. The unreality intensified. Such a thing did not belong here. She didn't want to pull away the shirt, didn't want to see, but…

The stranger was doing it for her. She didn't wait around, as the feeling of unreality was rapidly slipping away, and hot panic was quickly taking its place. She stood up, hearing the stranger inhale softly, then pause before saying, "he's still alive."

Kagome ran for the door that led to the upper level of the home. "M-MOM!!"

**:0:**

Miroku was getting steadily more muddled about the whole affair. He hadn't slept at all since the explosion, which had been a full two days ago (hadn't eaten either, if he came to think about it). And now the boy who he remembered from childhood was back… was it a coincidence, that all this had happened so quickly? He wasn't sure any more.

The girl who had let him in (he'd have to thank her for that later, he was sure, but for now there were more important things) had run to the back of the bookstore, calling for her mother very loudly before disappearing up a staircase that he presumed was hidden somewhere at the back of the shop. He could hear her voice receding, even as responding noises began to sound from the floor above. Sounded like someone—no, several someones were getting out of bed.

He'd been worried that the girl was alone at home. What would he have done then? It would take more than just him and a girl who didn't look like she could be any older than fifteen to help this boy… he'd been stabbed! After the boy had fainted, Miroku had gotten him into the car and driven on, searching for somewhere to go—a hospital, maybe, somewhere that he could get help. But no. This kid had picked the worst possible place to get himself stabbed—out in the middle of nowhere, in a place where no medical help seemed to be available, and in fact the only light was from streetlamps and a single closed bookstore.

_What the heck happened to you_? he thought, looking down at the still face. Was the boy paler, or was it just his imagination? He had to hope not. If something happened—if the kid took a turn for the worse, he didn't know what he could do. He had already thought far enough ahead to disguise the boy's more… _unique_ attributes, namely the clawed hands and the white, pointed ears that nestled amongst masses of long silver hair.

Those ears were so _familiar_… he wanted nothing so much as to remove the hat, and the gloves, and just look at those ears to see whether he would remember more by doing so. But soon the girl would be back... he _couldn't_ let her see, couldn't let any of them see.

He avoided looking at the hole in the boy's chest, now exposed to the open air. _That_ would serve only to make him panic more, and he didn't need to see it again. Especially not now that help was coming. His breath was still coming too quickly for his own liking, though. _Damn it, I'm still too frazzled from the explosion_! he thought angrily, clenching his teeth. _Why does something have to happen_ now, _of all times? _Unable to think of anything to do, unable to do anything particularly helpful, he just sat, and he waited, until footsteps sounded from behind him. Everything happened very quickly after that.

A woman who must have been the girl's mother approached him from the back of the store, contained her natural reaction long enough to take control of the situation and sent the girl (whose name was Kagome, Miroku discovered) upstairs for some sort of medical supplies. She'd wanted to send Miroku for an ambulance, but some instinct deep within him made him refuse vehemently as he could from within his daze. He knew that if the boy's... less-than-human appearance were discovered, there would be trouble. It would be hard enough to hide it from Kagome and her family.. the mother was already beginning to look at him with suspicion. It did make sense, though, as the nearest hospital was miles away, and another long trip in a car wouldn't be good for that knife wound (at least, he assumed it was a knife wound... what else could it be?). The woman stared at him for long moments, but didn't argue. Miroku could only sigh and go back to helping... after all, he was only making himself appear more and more suspicious by the second.

Kagome, thankfully, took the situation at face value. She didn't seem to suspect anything... or rather, to put it a better way, if she suspected anything, it was the truth. After all, Miroku _wasn't_ lying... much.

Meanwhile, the rest of the household was waking up. The house and shop became so noisy for awhile that Miroku was briefly afraid that the boy would wake up, but no such luck... he slept like one dead. It seemed that in addition to Kagome and her mother, an old man and a young boy also lived there, and it also seemed that they had both been woken up by Kagome's shouts. There was brief confusion downstairs, quickly resolved when the mother told them all that if they were going to remain awake they might as well help out—the little boy worried Miroku, but he was kept aside until the injured boy was out of sight.

The boy was moved from his place on the floor just inside the door to a bed upstairs, leaving a fair-sized bloodstain in the green carpet to mark his presence. The little boy (Souta? Miroku couldn't focus very well on anything, not even to remember the kid's name) crouched down and looked at it until Kagome, remembering his presence, yelled at him to go upstairs and sleep. Miroku felt a vague sense of agreement: the kid couldn't help, and sticking around would only distress him. Though as the kid didn't seem to be very disturbed in the first place... maybe he didn't understand what was going on. After all, living here, he must have led a very sheltered life.

At some point during the ordeal the girl's mother took Miroku aside and spoke to him earnestly. Her eyes were dark and serious as she looked at him, though he couldn't sense any actual ill will. "Look, young man… I don't know what's happened, and I won't ask you outright if you don't want to talk about it. But at some point I would like to know whether or not we are doing the right thing by taking you in." The meaning in her words was clear: _Please tell me I'm not committing some sort of crime by helping you, please tell me you're not a criminal..._

He nodded, understanding, and told her his name, and added what he'd told the girl—that he was driving, nearly hit a stranger, then got out of the car only to realize that the boy had been shot. _No need to tell her that I think I know who he is_… The mother had seemed relieved, perhaps believing him, perhaps not, and went to help the others.

Things quieted down somewhat after that. Relieved that the boy was alive, Miroku slid down in a chair that Kagome brought in for him and watched the younger boy sleep. He had been carried upstairs to a spare bedroom, a small chamber with a small window on the second floor. There wasn't much furniture in it, aside from the bed, a bookshelf, and of course Miroku's chair. The boy wasn't moving, and Miroku slowly began to fall into a daze.

Kagome walked in, looking at the two men briefly. Souta and grandpa had both gone back to bed; her mother, claiming to have done all that she could for the moment, was in her bedroom and probably asleep as well. But for some reason, Kagome didn't feel like resting at all.

"Hey," she said to the stranger in the chair. "You know, I never did get your name."

He roused himself briefly. "Hm? Oh. It's Miroku."

She looked over at the boy on the bed. "Ah. Do you know what his name is?"

"Inuyasha," said Miroku without thinking. Moments later he realized what had just come out of his mouth and sat bolt upright. Well that just about destroyed the excuse he'd made! _Damn!_ he cursed himself inwardly. Simple logic stated that if he knew the boy's name, then he knew the _boy_, and while this was, in fact, the truth, he'd earlier told these people that they were strangers. He waited for Kagome to notice his slip.

"Inuyasha," said Kagome. She was frowning down at Inuyasha. Miroku felt absurdly relieved—she wasn't about to ask him whether he did know the younger man after all, it seemed. "Well, that's… an interesting name." Suddenly her brown eyes flicked to Miroku and settled on him with a measure of concern. "Are you okay, Miroku? You look really tired."

"D-do I?" said Miroku, blinking. Now that he looked, Kagome really was quite pretty… No! No, he wouldn't start thinking about that now… in his state of mind he wasn't sure what would happen if he settled into that familiar train of thought. "I'm okay, really."

"Oh, come on," she snorted, putting her hands to her hips. "You're all pale-looking, you were shaking earlier, and you _still_ seem really tense. You heard what mother said, right? _It's not that bad_. Inuyasha will get better soon, all right? So stop worrying."

Miroku felt dazed. Thinking back, he thought he may have heard Kagome's mother saying something of the sort, but he hadn't been listening. And when had he been shaking? Well, if it was true, it wouldn't surprise him, but it did annoy him considerably that someone else had to notice for him.

"Here," said Kagome, taking advantage of his seeming indecision to press a book with a slightly wavy cover into his hand. "It's on the bestseller list in the city. Take it, and if you can't sleep you can read it. You can have a bath, too, if you like, to get the blood off you. Just get out of this room."

Miroku took the book, startled. After staring for a few seconds, putting his thoughts in order, he stood up. "All right," he said. "I'll do that." He walked to the door and paused. "Uh… where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall, to your left," Kagome told him, and he turned to walk away. She called out after him. "And be careful with the knobs on the tub! The one that says 'C' is in French—it means hot. And don't twist them too hard, or they'll fall off!"

"Okay," said Miroku, grinning slightly and not really listening. A bath... a bath would be just the thing right now... He looked down at the book in his hand, thoughtfully. Its cover was slightly damp. Some sort of weird romance…

**:0:**

Kagome sat down on the chair Miroku had just left and looked at Inuyasha again. Her mother had said he would be fine, and she trusted her mother's word, but… he was so pale…

His shirt and anorak had both been removed, and before she could stop herself she found that she was staring at his chest. Crossed with bandages, she could still see enough of it to make her feel uncomfortably warm inside. Slightly tanned, thin but certainly not skinny, muscular without being beefy… Kagome hadn't seen very many shirtless men in her life (in fact none, unless she counted Souta and occasionally grandpa), but she was certain that she would be hard-pressed to find another boy with such a well-built body...

Oddly, neither his gloves nor his hat had come off during all the moving. The hat was slipping sideways, though, and she could just see a wisp of pale hair escaping from beneath it. There was something odd about its colour, but she couldn't quite grasp what it was. She tucked it absently back inside the hat, noting with a bit of relief that his skin was warm. With the awful pallor of his face, she'd half-expected it to be cold as ice.

_This is definitely a new experience_, she reflected as she leaned back in the chair, never taking her eyes off Inuyasha. She'd never had to go through anything remotely like this before—in addition to the strangers, which were rare enough, there was an actual gunshot victim in her house! Why someone would have been shot out here was a mystery to her, but so much was right now anyway. Who was Miroku? And why, despite the fact that there was absolutely no reason for it, did she feel as if she could trust them both?

"Well, you're just one big enigma, aren't you Inuyasha," she told the unconscious boy lying in the guest bed. "I suppose we'll have to wait till you're awake to find out anything, though..."

Without really meaning to, her eyes were drawn to his face. The hat was covering up nearly all of his hair, except for a few more stray wisps her and there. It seemed that his hair didn't like being confined by the hat. _Plus it has to be really hot... the house got cooled down when the window opened, but not by_ that_ much..._

Before she even realized what she was doing, her hands were reaching out for the headpiece in question. It was one of those funny toques with earflaps. She grasped one of these flaps lightly and rubbed it softly; it was some sort of wool. His hair beneath it was soft as well. She began to tug on the hat, readying herself to pull it off...

"AHH! It's cold!" shouted a voice from down the hallway. Kagome jumped, dropping the hat, then turned towards the doorway and waited for a few seconds, patiently, hearing footsteps approach along the hallway. Just as Miroku entered the room, looking somewhat sheepish and wearing little more than his shirt and a towel, she fixed him with a stern glare.

"You weren't listening to me, were you," she said accusingly. "I told you that the knobs are labeled differently here, Miroku, and I guess you didn't hear me."

"Labeled...?" said Miroku weakly.

"Yeah," said Kagome. She cocked her head to one side, eyeing him wryly. "In French."

Miroku blinked. "French?"

"The 'C' on the knob to the left stands for 'chaud,'" Kagome told him, enjoying his expression and trying not to show it. "Which means hot. Therefore, if you wanted a hot bath, you should have turned that knob a lot more than you probably did."

"Ah," said Miroku. He half-turned as if to go again, noting briefly that Inuyasha's hat was askew. Had she seen...? "Thank you, Miss Kagome. I'm truly sorry for intruding on you like this."

It was her turn to blink. "Oh, don't mention it, Miroku. I've said it before: what sort of person would I be if I left you two out in the snow?"

"Well, I suppose," said Miroku, turning around again. He couldn't help smiling as he left the room. _Miss Kagome, you really are too trusting..._ Not that this was a bad thing, of course. If she weren't, he and Inuyasha might very well have been left outside after all... and chances were, Inuyasha would have died.

Miroku didn't want that. Especially not now... after losing his father, being on the verge of losing his one-time best friend as well was a thought that made him cringe. _No_, he thought, stepping once more into the washroom and casting a resentful glance at the bathtub full of cold water, _I'd rather step right into the middle of whatever's going on than have him die... an adventure would at least take my mind off_... _STOP BLOODY THINKING ABOUT IT!!_

He very nearly jumped into the cold bath then and there, shirt, towel and all, just because he knew it would distract him. Stopping himself, he instead unplugged it and waited for enough water to empty out that he could refill it... this time with warm water from one of those deceptively-labeled taps. _What next_? Well that was obvious. He would wait for Inuyasha to wake up, then he would find out what was going on, and find a way to get both himself and his childhood friend out of Kagome's house before the household found out about Inuyasha.

_It is a pity, though_, he thought as he finally deemed the bath to be empty enough to begin refilling it. _Kagome is such a pretty girl..._

**::00::::00::**

Well, there's another chapter. I didn't know Miroku was going to turn out so introverted until I'd written the thing, he has a lot more angst involved in his character here than you'll usually find. No one ever really portrays him as an angst character, I've found. He's always the one speck of lighthearted wit amongst all the depressing-ness of the other characters. Well, I'll find someone else to be the humour in this... just not till it's gone far enough...

And poor Inuyasha... in both of my fics, he starts out unconscious (well, sort of). Yes, he is a hanyou in this story (half youkai). Just thought I'd clear that up before I went any further. And also, please account most of the weird stuff to the fact that this is an AU, an alternate universe, and therefore some things are different. If you review, please don't point out things that I have specifically set up as a part of the story. I haven't actually made a mistake that contradicts MY story yet, and that's the sort that counts in fanfic, right? (A fic can contradict the original series, but if it contradicts itself without a good reason then it's probably a mistake)


	3. Asleep

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Not now, and never will.

**::00::::00::**

Mrs. Higurashi sighed as she sat down on the couch. She had managed to keep her calm very well during the last hour or so, she thought, but the truth was that the sudden stress was getting to her. She had never liked the sight of blood, it was why she had never followed up on her years' worth of nurse's training. She had swallowed her fear and helped out as best she could, making certain that the young boy was out of danger before she left him alone. And then of course there was...

_There's no reason to feel guilty_, she thought, passing a hand over her forehead as she stared up at the ceiling. _Kagome can handle herself... and if something happens to_ him_? You know that you didn't make any mistakes while treating him… you know you won't have to walk in there and find a dead body_._ And as for the other boy... if he was... if either of them were... well, he_'_d have given something away when you talked to him, wouldn't he? _Her own thoughts, much to her chagrin, suddenly took on an almost mocking tone. _After all, _you_ of all people would be able to tell..._

But the thought didn't make the feeling go away. She was afraid. She very much doubted that she'd be getting much sleep tonight.

_What have I gotten into?_

**::00::::00::**

Kagome leaned forwards and looked intently at Inuyasha, again. From just down the hall she could hear splashing noises, presumably from Miroku getting into his bath. She suppressed a laugh as she thought of him turning the wrong knobs on the tub… he'd been through enough already, he didn't need her to start thinking disparagingly of him while he was out of sight. He really did need that bath—he'd been soaking wet, covered in snow and blood alike, and probably freezing cold too.

Inuyasha had been in a much worse state, though. It was understandable, given that he'd just been stabbed, but… for some reason he looked extraordinarily peaceful. Even unconscious, his torso striped with bandages that were rapidly becoming stained with blood, he still managed to seem more… _beautiful_ than anything else in the room. It was almost unreal.

What was this odd feeling, though? She got it every time she looked at him. It was a sense of… well, she couldn't describe it exactly, but it felt dangerous. Like _he_ was dangerous, despite being injured and unconscious. For some reason, he felt _wrong_, like he didn't belong in this room. And there was another feeling just beneath it… as if, deep down, she really ought to know him.

_But that's just silly,_ she thought, frowning as she tried to puzzle it out. _I'd remember if I'd ever met someone who looks like he does_.

She leaned back in her chair, wishing that she had the courage to get up, maybe find a book to read, because she should be getting bored soon. But she didn't really want to get up. Maybe if she stayed long enough, she'd figure out what it was about Inuyasha that was so strange.

Her eye fell upon his hands, still within the gloves. They seemed to have been jammed on in a hurry, because some of the fingers were empty and others too thick, and the one closest to her was hanging nearly off the end of his hand.

She reached out and touched the thin fabric, avoiding his skin. These wouldn't do much good in the cold outside. That, coupled with the fact that they weren't on properly, caused a strange new thought to enter her mind: they'd been put on him _after_ he was knocked unconscious. Perhaps by Miroku…? It would have made sense if Miroku had known he would be outside for a long time, and wanted to avoid frostbite. But Miroku had taken him here in the car… so it couldn't be that.

Some other reason then?

She tugged at the glove briefly, seeing whether she would be able to put it on properly without removing it, then, deciding it would be impossible, grabbed hold of all the fingers and _pulled_.

At first she didn't notice anything odd about the hand that was revealed. She put the glove aside and was about to move on to the next hand when something made her eyes go back.

His fingers… there was something wrong with Inuyasha's fingernails.

**::00::::00::**

Miroku stood up in his bath—it was much sooner than he would have liked, but he couldn't simply lie about while the situation hadn't yet resolved itself. He looked back at the draining bathwater regretfully as he dressed; the warmth had been so welcome, so comfortable. Kagome had one of the most pleasant bathtubs he'd ever gotten into, despite the confusing knobs.

But he couldn't stay. What if Inuyasha woke up? From his experiences, it took a lot to keep the younger boy down. And if Kagome was the only one with him…

He looked briefly for a fan in the washroom—the hot water had left a lot of steam hanging in the air. Seeing that there was none, he turned off the light and entered the hallway.

Kagome's house was very different from any he'd been in before. Old and creaky, it seemed to have three floors—the shop on the bottom, the living quarters, and then an attic, which he hadn't seen yet but assumed to be there (there were, after all, three rows of windows on the outside of the house). Through a door to his left he could see Kagome's mother getting up from the couch, in a darkened room he took to be some sort of den.

Inuyasha's room was at the end of the hallway. He began walking towards it, softly so as not to create a disturbance, when Kagome's mother stopped him.

"Miroku?" she said quietly.

"Yes, Miss?" he replied, for lack of a better name to call her. Perhaps if he knew her surname…

"Are you… sure you don't know what happened?" she asked.

He nodded. "All I know is that he is badly injured, Miss. What happened to cause that I don't know, but…"

"Is it going to get dangerous?" she wanted to know. "There must be a reason for his condition. _Someone_ did that to him, someone who wants him _dead_, and they might still be after him!"

Her fear was starting to show in her voice no matter how she tried to hide it. Miroku couldn't help the feeling of guilt that rose inside him. He'd brought this upon them… it wasn't their problem, and he was causing them so much worry…

On second thought, though, it wasn't technically his problem either. Or at least, it didn't have to be. Miroku sighed, more confused than ever. "I'm sorry, Miss," he told the woman. "I don't know what's happening any more than you do, but I will do my best to ensure that your family remains well out of it. Thank you again for helping us."

She waved her hand dismissively. "What else could I have done?"

He regarded her amusedly for a moment, beginning to get a very good idea of where her daughter had gotten a lot of her ideas.

She was already walking away from him, down the hallway to a different bedroom. "Good night, Miroku. Don't hesitate to wake me up if anything happens, all right?"

"Good night, Miss," he said. After a few seconds had passed, he started towards the room where he had left Inuyasha with Kagome.

When he entered the room, he sensed that something was amiss. Kagome was staring at Inuyasha with a very odd look on her face. As he entered, she jumped and turned to face him, revealing Inuyasha's bare left hand.

_She took off one of the gloves_, thought Miroku, freezing. _Oh, no… kami, no!_

Kagome blinked up at him a couple of times. "Hey," she said at last, sounding slightly puzzled, "why is Inuyasha wearing fake fingernails?"

Miroku nearly fell over. Keeping himself from doing so, he instead felt the desire to laugh hysterically, and pressed that down as well before he spoke.

"I am not sure, Kagome," he told her, straining to keep his mirth under control. "Perhaps he simply enjoys wearing them?"

It was partially true, he supposed. Inuyasha had always enjoyed using his claws when the two of them were younger…

"Huh," said Kagome, looking back down at his hand. "Really sharp ones, too." She looked up at Miroku. "Do you mind if I take his other glove off? It's warm enough in here, and they can't be comfortable, seeing as how they're put on wrong and all."

"No, by all means go ahead," said Miroku, and leaned against the doorway to watch as she removed his other glove. Perhaps he had put them on a bit too quickly—three of Inuyasha's fingers were jammed into the same space, and the fourth was twisted awkwardly to one side. The glove itself was backwards. He fought down the urge to laugh for a third time. _She thinks he's wearing fake fingernails!_ He was sure his face was red.

Kagome put the second glove beside the first and laid Inuyasha's arm by his side. "Hey Miroku," she said.

He tried to speak normally; it was easier than before, the mirth was quickly leaving him. "Yes, Miss Kagome?"

She frowned slightly at that. "Well, for one thing, stop calling me Miss," she told him. "And for another… how do you know Inuyasha's name? I thought you said you had no idea who he was?"

Well. She had him there. All the humour left Miroku in the space of one fleeting second. _What do I say_? The answer came back, and it wasn't what he expected. _How about… the truth?_

"I think I used to know him, Miss… er, Kagome. However, I haven't seen him in many years."

She was watching him guardedly, now. Well, that admission had probably just knocked down a good portion of her trust in him…

"You don't know how he ended up like this?" she asked him cautiously.

Miroku shook his head in response and looked down.

Kagome sighed. "Oh, well." She looked down at Inuyasha, who still showed no signs of waking up.

"Are you tired at all?" she asked Miroku.

He jumped, startled out of the daze he'd been falling into. "Er—no, not really," he said.

He was, very much, but he wouldn't be able to sleep with all of this worry hanging over him. He tried very hard to look bright-eyed and alert; Kagome didn't seem to be falling for it. She was probably tired too, he thought with a pang of guilt. He could see patches of darkness beneath her eyes… dark grey eyes, he noticed idly. Not the eyes of his dream girl, though the rest of her matched well enough.

After a few moments, she left off watching him and stood up slowly. "Are you hungry, then?"

Hungry? …Well, he hadn't eaten in days… he supposed he probably ought to eat something. Sleep could wait, but eating… "I believe I am," he told her.

She grinned. "All right. Come on, follow me. I'll take you to the kitchen and we'll get something to eat."

He let her go through the door first, pausing to turn off the light before following her. She led him to the opposite end of the corridor, into a small, cozy little kitchen with pale blue walls and unpainted brown wainscoting. It was the smallest, most unassuming kitchen Miroku's city-bred eyes had ever seen. He stood for a moment in the doorway, taking in the squat little stove and yellow refrigerator, while Kagome began to go through the cupboards.

"Hm… we don't have an awful lot to eat," she said, pushing aside stacks of canned food. "Well, that doesn't involve cooking, anyway."

"I don't need to eat a lot," Miroku assured her. "Just enough that I won't get hungry later tonight…" _No need to disturb these people twice_, he thought with a grimace.

"Ah," said Kagome, pulling open a drawer and digging through it. "Maybe just a sandwich, then…"

"That would be fine," said Miroku gratefully.

There was a long period of silence. Miroku sat down at the table, after Kagome refused to allow him to help her. He watched her busy herself with getting ingredients and bread.

_He really is tired_, thought Kagome, watching Miroku's head droop slightly out of the corner of her eye. _Why doesn't he just admit it and go to sleep?_ She smiled as she answered her own internal question. _Because he's worried about his friend, that's why_.

Miroku leaned back against the table. Kagome didn't seem to mind the fact that he'd just stormed into her house and dumped a wounded boy on her. _Trusting_, he thought again, somewhat hazily. _Must come from living in such a small town_…

"How did you know Inuyasha?" asked Kagome, breaking in on his thoughts. He nearly jumped again but managed to restrain his reaction.

"We were neighbours," he said. "His family lived beside mine."

_If you could really call his a family_, he added inwardly. Out of all the people he'd known (save perhaps for himself), Inuyasha probably had the strangest home life. It might have been mostly covered up, but Miroku had caught glimpses of it from time to time, flashes of things gone awry, that his younger self hadn't understood. Looking back, though…

"Really?" said Kagome, placing the finished sandwich in front of him, along with a glassful of some sort of juice. "How come you haven't seen him for so long?"

"I moved away," said Miroku, before taking a bite out of the sandwich. When he'd finished the bite he waited for Kagome to ask him something else, then realized that she was waiting for him to continue. "My dad wanted to start a new… project," he said. "So he moved elsewhere in the city. I thought I'd probably seen the last of Inuyasha. Until today, that is."

"Huh." Kagome looked down at the table as he started on the food again. He was hungrier than he'd thought, and the sandwich was gone faster than he liked. Soon the juice—orange juice, it turned out—was gone as well, and Kagome pulled the empty plate out from in front of him. When she didn't immediately remove them for washing, he looked up at her curiously.

"Do you want more?" she asked him, holding up the plate in one hand.

He shook his head. "Thank you, Miss… er, Kagome. I think that's enough for now."

She shrugged, put the plate into the sink and waited for him.

Miroku smiled in contentment as he walked to the door. Now that his stomach was no longer empty, his thoughts were becoming somewhat clearer. Inuyasha would most likely not be waking up very soon… perhaps he ought to go to sleep. He'd be able to think clearer if he did…

"What's it like in the city?" Kagome asked him in a lower voice as they started to walk back down the hall.

Miroku considered. "Loud. Big… well, bigger than this, anyway. Crowded."

She sighed. "I've always wanted to go there. There's so much stuff I want to do… maybe next year, when I graduate, then…"

He looked at her sharply, unable to conceal his surprise. "You're seventeen?"

She nodded, amused. "Yes. How old did you think I was?"

He grinned. "Oh, much younger, Miss Kagome. By a couple of years."

"I told you not to call me Miss," she said teasingly as she opened the door to the guest bedroom and flicked on the light. "I'm not my mom."

He shrugged. "It's habit, I suppose. Please don't take offense."

She looked at him briefly. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep? You still look really tired."

He remembered his decision earlier. "Very well, Mi… Kagome. Do you have another spare bed somewhere?"

"You can take mine," said Kagome. "I'll stay in here."

Miroku twitched. "Are you sure?" he asked, somewhat concerned now. "He doesn't know you. If he wakes up…"

"I'm sure," said Kagome. She glanced over at Inuyasha. "Um… one question, though," she said.

"Yes?"

"Could I take off his hat? It's getting really warm in here, and I don't think it can be very comfortable."

Miroku looked over at Inuyasha too, nervously. "Uh… I don't think that would be a very good idea."

Kagome looked puzzled—she didn't know why she'd asked, she honestly hadn't thought there could possibly be any reason not to remove the toque, but…

"Okay," she said. _Fair enough_. She gestured towards the doorway Miroku was standing in. "My room is the third door to your left if you walk down the hall. You'll know it's mine because there's no one sleeping in it." She walked over to the chair beside Inuyasha's bed and sat down. After a few moments, when Miroku hadn't moved from the doorway, she turned to look at him. "Aren't you tired?"

"A bit," he said. "But… how is he?"

"Come see for yourself," she said. "He's…" she broke off, leaning forwards suddenly, and staring hard at Inuyasha.

"Wh-what?" said Miroku nervously.

"I think he's waking up!" breathed Kagome.

Miroku was beside her within seconds. It was true. Inuyasha's still-closed eyes flickered, his breathing growing irregular. There was nothing Miroku could do except stand by helplessly as Kagome sat, spellbound, watching a pair of pale amber eyes open slowly.

**::00::::00::**

Ooh, a cliffhanger! And it's a real bad one this time…

Well, at least he's finally waking up…

And I know I haven't been using ANY of the usual Japanese honorifics in this. It's not because I don't know how, but I just don't really want to here. They wouldn't fit in.


	4. Awake

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**::00::::00::**

The first thing that drifted into Inuyasha's awareness was an unfamiliar smell. Sweet, but not overly so, smelling of flowers and some sort of spice, none of which he could really identify. When he tried to take a deeper breath, sudden pain flared in his chest and he would have gasped if he had been able. Instead, instinct made him open his eyes onto a scene that he never could have imagined.

Miroku identified the look in those oh-so-familiar golden eyes only a millisecond before Inuyasha's arm shot out and all but grabbed Kagome by the throat. He let out a yelp of warning a moment too late and was rewarded by a lithe twist of Inuyasha's body so that the boy could reach for him too. He skipped aside quickly.

Inuyasha growled faintly, trying to stand while maintaining his hold on Kagome's neck. His eyes were fixed on her, ignoring Miroku now that the older boy had stepped out of his line of sight.

"Kikyou," he snarled, tightening his grip so that Kagome squeaked and fought for breath. "What the fuck are you trying to pull?"

"Inuyasha, let go of her!" said Miroku, alarmed by this turn of events but unable to do more than stand and watch. "She has done nothing!"

Kagome struggled to breathe, not making a sound. _Don't scream, don't scream_, she pleaded with herself. If she made a noise… She could feel his overly-long nails against the skin of her neck, and tried to hold still. She noticed that those oddly-coloured eyes had slit pupils, also like a cat's. They had been hugely dilated at first, but as his gaze focused more the pupils narrowed into tiny vertical lines. Pale, amber eyes. Wild eyes. They were glaring at her with a level of hatred that would have rendered her unable to move even without the hand on her throat.

"_I ought to kill you right now_," said Inuyasha venomously to Kagome, his hand tightening again. "You _bitch_! What the hell did you think you were doing?"

"Inuyasha, I shall say it again, _let go of her_!" said Miroku. This time, Inuyasha's concentration wavered, and he looked over.

"M-Miroku?" he said, uncertainty creeping into his voice. Kagome seized her chance.

"Daah!" she yelled, kicking out and striking him hard. He doubled over and fell back against the bed with a muffled gasp, and his hand left her neck. She stumbled back a few paces, sucking air into her lungs.

But immediately Inuyasha was leaping at her again, claws outstretched this time, and it was Miroku who intervened, running quickly in and shouldering the boy aside so that he landed catlike on the floor a few paces away.

"What the fuck are you doing, Miroku!" he snarled again, his eyes now fixed on the other boy. "This is the bitch that tried to shoot me, damn it!"

Miroku's mouth fell open, as did Kagome's. "Sh-shoot?" said Miroku weakly.

"Hey!" said Kagome, managing to raise her voice despite being slightly winded. "If this Kikyou person is the one who hurt you, shouldn't you be angry at _her_ and not at me?"

"Bitch!" he threw back. "Stop playing dumb and pretending to be someone else, damn it! Have you already forgotten what you _did_?!"

"_Someone else_?" she echoed. _Does he_…_ think that _I'm_ the one who shot him?_ "Listen, I most definitely did _not_ shoot anyone, you included, and if you think I did then you need to take a closer look at the people you're yelling at! I'm_ not_ Kikyou, whoever she is!"

"Fool, do you think I'm that stupid, that I couldn't even recognize—" he broke off abruptly, tilting his face back in a rather improbable position so that it looked almost as if he was sniffing the air. There was a long pause. "You… you're not her," he said at last, his voice flat, emotionless.

"Thank you!" said Kagome, still annoyed as she put her hands on her hips. "My name is Kagome! Ka-Go-Me! I'm not this Kikyou, whoever she is, she…"

It was her turn to trail off as Inuyasha slid to his knees, one arm pressed across his stomach. Despite herself, she hurried forwards.

"Look at yourself, you idiot! Don't you even have enough sense to at least _rest _after you've just been…" Her mind blanked out on her as she began to say the next word. _Shot. Oh, god, he's been shot!_ It didn't even register that he was trying to growl at her, and not doing a very god job with his rapidly weakening voice. Everything was freezing.

At the same time, Miroku snapped back into action. He had been watching the fight with a bemused sort of attention, wondering all the while how Kagome could yell like that after being half-strangled, in addition to wondering who on earth this Kikyou was whom Inuyasha seemed to bear such distaste for. "Come on," he said to the unmoving Kagome, taking light hold of her arm and helping her up and away from Inuyasha. He sat her down on the chair and then turned to his one-time friend.

"Inuyasha," he said softly.

The other boy looked up quickly and then winced, sliding down farther. It seemed that his ability to move had been used up entirely during the brief burst of activity.

"What is it, bouzu," he said in a somewhat quieter voice—though it still could hardly be said to be gentle. "Come to gloat at me for making such a bloody mess of things?"

"You truly are an idiot," said Miroku, leaning down and wrapping an arm around Inuyasha's waist. "I haven't the faintest idea of what's been going on in your life, and I don't intend to leave this room until you've told me what it is."

Inuyasha grunted as he allowed himself to lie back down. "Bouzu," he said softly, as if reacquainting himself with his old nickname for Miroku. He nodded towards Kagome. "Who's the bitch?"

"That," said Miroku, "is the girl who, out of nothing more than trust and the kindness of her heart, decided to take us in and allow you this chance to recover."

"Keh," said Inuyasha, now eyeing her guardedly. Kagome, she'd said her name was. Well, she looked enough like Kikyou to fool him originally, but… well, for one thing, Kikyou had never yelled at him like that.

Then again, until tonight, Kikyou had never shot him before either. He pulled his arm away from his stomach and looked at the new blood smeared across his palm. "Shit," he said. Noticing the bandages for the first time, he nearly swore again. She had _touched_ him? That filthy bitch had touched him while he was asleep? He began to growl once more, ignoring the fact that he was on the verge of passing out again.

"Stop that," Miroku told him sharply. He turned to look at Kagome, who was still sitting in the chair with a slightly dazed look. "Miss Kagome, perhaps it would be best if you were to leave for the moment. Inuyasha needs a moment to become… acquainted with his new surroundings."

Kagome began to stand up, realized what she was doing, and just as quickly whirled round to face them both. "No!" she said, her temper flaring again just as quickly as it had died down. "I'm not leaving until _someone_ tells me what's going on!"

"I am curious as well, Inuyasha," said Miroku. "What have you been up to, that ended in you getting shot?"

"Nothing that concerns either of you," mumbled Inuyasha, his arm back on his stomach. He shot another venomous glance at Kagome. "_Especially_ not the bitch."

_He really does hate me,_ thought Kagome dazedly. This was all so unfamiliar—in her normal life, the life she knew, no one hated anyone else with such ferocity… they might play at it, but nothing she had ever experienced before could match the raw loathing contained in this boy's golden eyes. She remembered the feeling of his long, long nails against her skin and shuddered involuntarily.

"Miss Kagome, please," said Miroku, turning to her. "You should go to sleep, I'll handle this."

She looked around at the two of them, feeling out-of-place very suddenly. "Fine," she said at last. "But I expect to be told everything in the morning, you hear?"

Miroku sighed, watching as she left the room, before turning back to Inuyasha.

"Idiot," said Inuyasha, eyes closed. "You should know better than to trust her. She's probably waking up everyone she can reach, getting ready to run us out of their midst." He choked out a laugh. "The bouzu and the hanyou."

"It's you who's being foolish," replied Miroku. "She is an innocent, not involved in any of this… whatever's going on. And besides which, she doesn't know you are a hanyou."

Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked at him in frank disbelief. "Doesn't know?" he repeated. "How can't she? Is she blind or something, not noticing my claws, my…" he stopped as he became aware of his hat. "Ah."

"Don't take it off!" said Miroku hurriedly as Inuyasha reached up slowly. "If she comes back…"

"It itches," said Inuyasha, in the whining tone of voice that Miroku had once been so used to.

"I'm sorry," said Miroku. "You'll just have to put up with it until… do you think you can move yet?"

Inuyasha tried, first pushing up with his arms, then trying to move his legs off the edge of the bed. Nothing. He was completely spent, and his stomach was throbbing again—_where she… where she shot me_, he thought with a wince. "Fat fucking chance," he growled, mostly in frustration. "Damn her!"

_Kikyou, I presume,_ thought Miroku dryly. "Inuyasha, you've mentioned this woman several times already," he said. "What exactly did she do?"

Inuyasha gave a glance that was as contemptuous as it was hazy. "Only _shot_ me, moron," he said. _I thought she was going to… to… and then she… tried to kill me…_

Remembering that made his mind spin even faster and more dizzyingly than before, and he found that his eyes were closing. When his senses returned, all that he heard was Miroku shouting.

"Oi! Don't pass out until you've told me what happened!" said the older boy in frustration, reaching out and grabbing Inuyasha's shoulders. "Hey!"

_Sorry, bouzu_, was Inuyasha's last thought as the rest of his mind clouded over and went blank. _Can't do that…_

Miroku growled to himself and sat down in the chair. He must have been more tired than he thought, for soon he found that his mind was drifting as well. He couldn't even summon the will to care, and soon he was as deeply asleep as the hanyou in the bed.

**::00::::00::**

When Kagome woke up that morning, she initially didn't notice anything amiss. She sat up in bed, yawning, and stretched her oddly stiff limbs. The fog from the previous night was gone, and cold, wintry sunlight filtered in through her window. Everything outside seemed to have a blue-grey cast to it.

Standing up, she wondered briefly why the house was so quiet. It was usually quite noisy, filled with the bustle of getting Souta and her ready for school (Souta was always loud when he woke up, often it was the sound of him banging around and asking for things that woke her up in the first place)…

_Oh yes, it's a holiday_, she thought, and grinned. Just as she was reaching for the hem of her shirt to pull it over her head and begin changing, she froze. There was a brownish blot on the fabric, near her waist. _Blood…?_

Abruptly all the events of the previous night hit her, and without further hesitation she ran to her door and threw it open. Beginning to head down the hallway at the same breakneck pace, she was stopped by her mother, who was just coming out of the washroom.

"Kagome!" said Mrs. Higurashi, barely loud enough for her daughter to hear. "Please don't make much noise!"

"Why?" gasped Kagome. "Something didn't happen, did it?"

Her mother tried to smile, but it was thin and forced. "Miroku's finally fallen asleep. I don't know what he's been going through, poor boy, but he seemed all but dead on his feet…"

_Speaking of dead_, thought Kagome, and couldn't help but speak up. "Mum, Inuyasha woke up last night!"

"Oh?" Her mother looked surprised, despite being the one who'd predicted that the younger boy would be fine. "Inuyasha… that would be his name?"

"Oh," said Kagome, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah. Well, mum he woke up, and he was…" She bit her lip. What to say? If she told her mother that he had attacked her, she wasn't sure what sort of reaction that would elicit… "He was really disoriented, didn't know where he was or anything."

"Well that's only to be expected, dear," said Mrs. Higurashi. "He's been unconscious for a long while, and waking up in an unfamiliar place can't be a pleasant experience."

"I guess," said Kagome, thinking back to the night before and inwardly fuming. _That idiot couldn't even bother to rest, he preferred to attack me on instinct… given, he _did_ think that I was the woman who shot him, but still!_

"Well, why don't you have some breakfast now, dear," said Mrs. Higurashi, watching Kagome's face with a measure of concern. "Souta and grandpa are in there now—I made an omelet for you, if you want it."

"In a minute, mum," said Kagome. She started walking towards the guest bedroom at the end of the hall. Her mother nodded and went to the kitchen, but Kagome was no longer paying attention.

Whatever the incident last night had been about, she fully intended to find out. Mum had said Miroku was asleep… what about Inuyasha?

She opened the door and her question was answered immediately. Miroku was slumped over in his chair, half-lying on the bed with his head resting in his arms. Inuyasha was lying on his back again, seemingly asleep as well… but the peaceful look she'd been so struck by earlier was gone without a trace, replaced by an angry, slightly pained frown. The bandages on his still-bare chest were unnervingly red-looking, and his hat seemed to have been dislodged, to the point that it was halfway off his head.

In the pale bluish light coming from the window behind him, quite a lot of long, pale hair was spilling out across his pillow. Again, she noticed the odd colour—not blond; it had too much blue in it. Perhaps it was just the light, but his hair looked… silver?

Stepping closer, she jumped when his eyes opened and moved slightly to fix on her.

"What's wrong, wench," he said hoarsely. "You don't look too happy…" He coughed suddenly.

"The only thing I would be upset about is you not resting," she said stiffly, taking another step. "You'll only make yourself worse." He watched her warily, still coughing. Miroku began to rouse, moving his arms slightly so that he could rub his eyes.

_Damn_, Kagome thought fiercely. _Here I've gone and done exactly what mum wanted me to avoid! _

She watched in dismay as Miroku sat up to help Inuyasha. The younger boy had doubled over by this point, both hands pressed to his mouth. Feeling nervous and out-of-place yet again, she cast her eyes about for something else to look at…

…and they settled on the top of Inuyasha's head,

Miroku chanced to look up at her as his old friend began to breathe properly again and noticed her odd expression. He followed her gaze. His eyes widened.

When Inuyasha had moved, his hat had fallen off completely. Revealing not only masses of decidedly _silver_ hair, but also the two small, white, pointed dog ears that sat atop his head.

Miroku winced. _Shit_.

**::00::::00::**

Well, here's another cliffhanger… whoa, I'm EVIL. Also... Yess! People are indeed reading this story! In answer to one question: Kagome, in this story, has never met Inuyasha before in her life. Never, ever, ever/ There is a reason for that dream, which shall not be divulged as of yet... evil laughter

Oh, and this is just a friendly reminder that this is indeed an Inuyasha/Kagome pairing. If it ever appeared otherwise, that was just because Inuyasha wasn't awake to interact with pretty much anyone... (that'll change really quickly now, though). Kagome can't really fall in love with him very easily if he's asleep, now can she? And Miroku doesn't love Inuyasha... not like that, anyway... he does care for him, though, since they _were _childhood friends.

Also, if there are any complaints about OOC-ness or anything else... I plead AU! (at least for these early chapters, anyway)


	5. Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Miroku, Kagome, Mrs. Higurashi, Jiichan or Souta. Nor do I own a single one of the other characters in here. Well, there MIGHT be an OC... keyword MIGHT... but they won't have a large role, I know that much.

** ::00::::00::**

"Er…" Miroku fumbled for words. How would he be able to explain this away? "It's… you see, he…"

"Miroku," said Kagome in a very low, clear voice, "are those _ears_?"

Miroku winced and began to think of something, _anything_ that he could say in order to explain this. "Uh…"

"Of course they're ears, _bitch_," snarled Inuyasha, apparently recovering enough to speak. He glared at her from above his hands. "What do they look like; _barettes_?!"

Miroku could have slapped himself. He would have settled for slapping Inuyasha, if he weren't so afraid to hurt him more.

Kagome didn't move from the doorway. "Inuyasha, why do you…" She changed tracks abruptly. "Miroku, why does he have ears on the top of his head?"

Miroku sighed and shrugged. "Ah… genetic disorder?"

Some part of her normal personality flashed into her eyes, lending them a slightly dangerous glint. "Miroku…"

Miroku turned to face her fully, his mind racing. "Well, it's a very strange…"

"I'm a youkai," said Inuyasha abruptly, cutting him off. Miroku turned to glare anew at his childhood friend. Inuyasha glared back… at least, until Kagome called both of their attentions back to the doorway.

"Youkai?" She was frowning. "What the heck are you talking about?" That was, quite frankly, the most ridiculous thing she had heard in her entire life. Everyone knew youkai didn't exist… it was as if Inuyasha had said he was an elf, or Sinterclaas, or kami himself.

But… what about those ears?

Inuyasha sighed and rolled his amber eyes, as if he were talking to the biggest fool in the universe. "Youkai, bitch. Demon, spirit, wraith, whatever. _Not_—_fucking_—_human_. Any more questions?"

"Yes," said Kagome, taking a step forwards now. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that? What do you take me for?" She glanced uneasily at Miroku. Shouldn't he be helping her? If Inuyasha were delirious…

"I never told you that you had to believe it," grumbled Inuyasha, leaning back against the headboard. He coughed. "Just because you don't think it's possible, though, doesn't mean it ain't true."

Kagome frowned at him, looking at Miroku again. The dark-haired boy was looking carefully down at his hands. "Well, I _know_ it isn't possible," she said crisply. "Things like that simply do not exist."

"And how do you know that, bitch?" he said, almost mockingly now.

"_Stop calling me that_," she said, clenching her fists. "And I know it because if they _did_ exist, then we'd have a lot more chaos going on in the world than we do right now."

"Who's to say we don't have chaos now?" said Inuyasha. He seemed to be enjoying himself, even though his hand over his bandages seemed to be gripping a bit too tightly.

"I never said we didn't have some measure of chaos now, idiot, I just said we'd have _more_," she began, and then stopped, nearly putting her hands over her mouth. Soon she'd be talking like he did!

"Well," said Miroku, breaking in at last, "you two need to figure out a way to resolve this soon…there are more important things to talk about."

"Such as?" said Inuyasha.

"That's true," said Kagome. "But first, one of you has to tell me about the damned _ears_!"

Miroku sighed. "Very well. Kagome, Inuyasha here is not a youkai."

"Hah!" said Kagome, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue.

"…He is a hanyou," Miroku continued. "Half youkai."

Kagome was left with her mouth hanging slightly open, staring at Inuyasha—who wore an infuriatingly smug expression on his unrealistically delicate features.

The conscious part of her mind tried to rebel again—_Miroku's just a prankster too, is all! Youkai don't exist!_—but it was drowned out by sudden, overwhelming belief. It _did_ fit… Inuyasha's strange appearance, right down to the fury she'd witnessed earlier… even, and she hadn't thought of this before, the fact that he'd been shot and yet the wound didn't seem nearly as bad as a gunshot should have. None of it was quite… real.

"Hanyou?" she repeated, testing the word. She hadn't heard it used often—even in legends, a hanyou was a rare occurrence. "Then… one of his parents is…"

"Human, yes," said Miroku. He looked back down at his hands. "I am truly sorry, Miss Kagome. The truth has been kept secret for so long…"

She blinked. "Oh, don't be. After all, it's not every day I get to meet a…" She looked at Inuyasha, who stared back at her with inscrutable golden eyes. One of his ears twitched slightly and she forced down the urge to giggle. "A hanyou."

Miroku sighed in relief. She was taking this much better than he'd thought she would… he half-expected her to scream, or run out of the room, or maybe even try to attack them. But instead she just stood in the doorway, a little uncertainly, watching them both with quiet grey eyes.

Kagome shifted her weight from one foot to the other, nervous. What did she do now? "Er… if one of your parents was human," she began.

"Both of _yours_ are, idiot, so you might as well stop talking," snorted Inuyasha. "Humans are common in this world. Or hadn't you realized that?"

She ignored him and kept going. "Well, was it your father or your mother?" she asked.

He sank down against the headboard, glaring. "What's it to you?" he asked.

"I want to know," she retorted. "I'm curious, ninny."

He glared at her for a few moments. Suddenly just as she was about to give in and turn the conversation to another subject, he turned his head sharply to glare out the window instead. "My mother," he said softly.

Miroku watched him without speaking. The look in his eyes was unfamiliar, faraway. What had happened to him since Miroku had left?

Kagome watched him too. He didn't seem to notice both of them staring, but she still felt distinctly awkward. There was some emotion in his voice, something in the way he'd said it, that clearly told her to stay out of his business.

Suddenly…

"Kagome!" called her mother from down the corridor. "Breakfast is waiting! Aren't you going to eat?"

"Coming, mother!" she called back. She turned back to face Miroku, smiling at him. "Want some?"

Miroku stood up gratefully. He could have eaten several sandwiches last night, had he not been so afraid of intruding on Kagome. But now his stomach was just beginning to notify him of its wants once more, and it was slightly uncomfortable… "Yes, please, Miss Kagome," he said.

"I told you to stop calling me Miss," she said, turning to leave.

"Oi!" said an angry voice from behind her as Miroku began to follow. "What about me? I have to eat too you know!"

"Inuyasha, you've just been _shot_," said Kagome sternly. "I don't know if you even still _have_ a stomach, and I'm not taking any chances." She began to leave again. "I might bring you something light _later_, if you're good."

And she was outside the room, closing the door behind herself. Inuyasha slouched in the bed, grumbling softly while he rested an arm over the bandages once more. It felt sticky and wet beneath his bare arm—perhaps they hadn't been changed since they were first put on. There was no way the wound could still be open; one of the good things about being a hanyou was that he healed quickly.

It could still hurt, though. And to top it off, he was hungry now… he'd probably eaten at some point before being shot at (for some reason he couldn't remember very well), but he might as well not have for all the good it did him now. Maybe if he could go into the kitchen, he could convince Kagome or her mother to give him some food…

Unfortunately, the effort involved in sitting up revealed that… well, simply put, that he couldn't do it. After several failed attempts he lay back with a soft whimper and listened to the sounds of eating that drifted in through the closed door.

_Soon,_ he thought, closing his eyes. _I'll try again soon_…

**00::::00**

Miroku happily stuck a fork full of omelet into his mouth, barely remembering to remove the utensil before beginning to chew. Forcing himself to eat slowly was a real chore—he was HUNGRY!—but Kagome's family was there, watching him. Kagome's younger brother—whose name _was_ Souta, as it turned out—kept watching him eat, with an enraptured expression on his face. And it wasn't only him—it seemed that the attention of everyone in the room was focused squarely on _him_. It was slightly unnerving.

The small kitchen seemed just about filled to capacity, with Miroku, Kagome, her mother, her grandfather and Souta all sitting at the table. The bright and cheery atmosphere (almost a direct contrast to the furor of last night) was accentuated by the morning sunlight that streamed in through the tiny window above the table. It lit up the room better than the ceiling fixture, in spite of the small size of the window.

"So, Miroku, where do you come from?" asked Kagome's mother, sitting across the table from him and sipping daintily at a glass of orange juice.

He swallowed quickly. "The city," he said. "I… used to live there."

"Not any more?" asked Kagome. She had an omelet on the plate in front of her as well, though she hadn't touched it yet.

"I moved away," said Miroku uncomfortably. "A few days ago."

"Is that why you were driving so late at night?" asked Mrs. Higurashi just as he took another bite.

He nodded, mouth full of omelet.

"Where were you going?" asked Kagome.

Miroku swallowed his mouthful so that he could speak again, his fork picking up another piece before he realized it. "Oh, around," he said vaguely, and quickly ate the bite before she could ask him to expand. _Away_ would be more like the truth, but that answer would definitely not please them.

"What happened to that boy?" Souta asked him.

Miroku shrugged. _Ohh, this is uncomfortable_… "I…" he swallowed quickly. "I'm not sure," he said. "He was unconscious when I met him, and he couldn't tell me." _Or wouldn't_, he added silently, making a face as he remembered the scene in the guest room earlier that night. _It's obvious that _something_ happened to him… but what?_ He put his fork into his mouth again and chewed. _I'll get him to tell me once we're away from here… with his fast healing, it ought to be soon_.

"Who hurt him?" asked Souta. "Was it a gang?"

Miroku shrugged again. "Maybe. I don't know."

"A gang fight!" began Mrs. Higurashi, her face paling. Kagome's grandfather, who had been silent until that moment, made an odd choking noise. It sounded like outrage.

"I'm sure it isn't!" Miroku reassured her quickly. _At least, I hope it isn't… knowing him, a gang wouldn't keep him around for more than a day_.

Suddenly a cold feeling swept through his stomach. _That isn't… what happened, is it_? If Inuyasha had somehow got onto the bad side of a gang…

"Do you know what's happened to him, at least?" asked Kagome. Another expression flashed across her face, briefly, and Miroku nearly smiled.

_She's worried_, he thought. "Well, now that we know he's been shot …"

"Shot?" Mrs. Higurashi's face went even paler than it had at the gang comment. "He was _shot_? How? _Why_?"

"I don't know," Miroku said again, truthfully. "I thought it was a stab wound, at first… if it was a gun that did it, it's not quite as severe as I might have thought…" _probably because of those healing powers_, he thought ruefully. "As for the rest… only Inuyasha knows the how and the why."

"Inuyasha?" asked Souta eagerly. "Is that his name?"

Miroku nodded again. "Yes."

Kagome's grandfather wrinkled his nose. "Inuyasha," he said, frowning. "That's an odd name for a…"

He was interrupted by a loud crash from the hallway, followed by a string of curses. Kagome and her mother jumped up, with the daughter beating her mother to the door by several steps.

"Inuyasha!" she gasped.

He looked up at her sullenly from where he was sitting on the floor, the overturned hall table lying on its side beside him. "What?"

"Why aren't you resting?"

"I wanted to _eat_, you crazy…" Trailing off, he blinked and looked past her. "Who's that?"

Kagome turned to see that her mother had come to stand beside her. "Mother, he won't stay still!" she said, annoyed. "I don't know what to…"

She trailed off upon seeing her mother's expression. "M-mom?"

Mrs. Higurashi was staring fixedly at Inuyasha's head. "Are those… ears?"

Kagome smiled weakly. "Er… yes?"

Suddenly Souta's voice burst out, "oh, _cool!_" And before either Kagome or her mother could stop him, he had run over to the hanyou and was tugging on his ears.

"Agh! Get off, kid!" said Inuyasha, trying to knock him away. He backed into the wall and tried to slide away sideways.

"Souta, be polite!" cried Mrs. Higurashi, rushing forwards to grasp her son around the waist. She looked down at Inuyasha with concern. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just that… are those real?"

He winced, trying to stand. "Keh! Of course."

Miroku put his hand over his face.

"Gah! Youkai!" cried Kagome's grandfather, having come to the door. He pointed a shaking finger at Inuyasha, who scowled.

"Father…" said Mrs. Higurashi, half turning away from Inuyasha to look at him. "Remember what I've told you."

The old man folded his arms across his chest, glaring. "I know what normal people are supposed to look like, and that boy is not _natural_!"

Inuyasha frowned thunderously. "Keh!"

"Father…" said Mrs. Higurashi, turning completely. Kagome froze, not sure what she ought to do. Would Inuyasha dare attack her mother like he had attacked her? And... if he did... would she be able to stop him?

Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest from where he sat on the ground and interrupted both her thoughts and her mother's beginning lecture. "Well, wench, can I eat or not?" he asked Kagome—his eyes trained on _her_ over Mrs. Higurashi's shoulder

Mrs. Higurashi frowned slightly upon hearing his name for Kagome, but bent down to help him up nonetheless. Inuyasha's scowl deepened upon needing help from a human, but he allowed her to do it nonetheless and then followed her, stumbling slightly, when she turned to walk into the kitchen.

Miroku sat back down at the table, relieved. Souta remained in the doorway, staring awestruck at Inuyasha and Miroku both. Kagome sat down, poking at her cooling omelet as she watched the two newcomers carefully.

Inuyasha kept his frown on his face as he sat. The sunlight coming through the window had intensified, and it was hurting his eyes. It even reflected off the polished wood of the tabletop, so that light was coming at him from every direction.

Mrs. Higurashi hurried around the cabinets. "Well, sir… uh, Inuyasha, I'm sure you're hungry—"

"Keh! Of course I am, why else would I come in?" he interrupted her, glaring down at the table—which ignored him and went on reflecting light right into his eyes.

She ignored him. "But seeing as how you've just been…" she winced "shot, I don't think another omelet would be right. Maybe some broth…"

He went on glaring at the table. "Don't want broth," he muttered.

Miroku smiled, a vague memory flitting through his head of a much younger Inuyasha refusing to eat his mother's broth. It seemed that he hadn't much liked the stuff, and by all appearances, this had not changed as he grew older.

"Well, it's all you'll be getting for the moment," said Mrs. Higurashi, setting a pot on the stovetop and bending over to rummage through a cupboard beneath the countertop. "We'll see how that goes, and maybe later today you'll get something more solid."

She straightened, broth in hand, and a faint frown crossed her face. "Though I must say, for a gunshot victim, you are recovering awfully fast," she remarked.

Inuyasha snorted. "Why wouldn't I? After all, I _am _a…"

Miroku clapped a hand over his mouth quickly. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at him. Softly, under his breath, knowing that Inuyasha's youkai hearing would pick it up but no one else would be able to hear, he whispered, "don't tell them!"

Inuyasha stared at him, confused.

Miroku sighed, glancing nervously at Kagome. She was staring at them. "Listen," he hissed to Inuyasha, "I don't know if you'd left the grounds before this… incident, but I would have thought that you at least knew _why_ your mother kept you at home!"

Suddenly Inuyasha looked very, very angry. Slowly, achingly slowly, he reached up and began to pry Miroku's and off his mouth with one clawed hand.

"Just remember not to tell anyone," Miroku whispered quickly. "They don't know, so _don't_ change that on a whim!"

Inuyasha removed Miroku's hand and sat for a few long moments, looking furious. Miroku watched him, worried. Then, surprisingly, Inuyasha sighed and leaned back in his seat, staring down at the table again.

_Well, glad that's avoided_, thought Miroku, glancing again at Kagome. She had watched the whole exchange, and now seemed to be trying to ask him silently what was going on. He shook his head faintly at her and looked around at the rest of the family.

Souta and the old man didn't seem to have noticed anything amiss, and Mrs. Higurashi was busy stirring the contents of the pot on the stove. Miroku leaned back in his chair as well, satisfied.

"May I ask you something, though, Inuyasha?" said Mrs. Higurashi after a minute or so, removing the pot from the stovetop. The boy tensed, looking up at her. "Your ears—they were moving, earlier. How, exactly…"

He frowned, bereft of his only answer, and could only stare up at her, wide-eyed. Miroku stepped in smoothly. "It's a genetic abnormality," he said. "Like the eyes.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded, placing a bowl in front of Inuyasha. "Ah. I'd noticed… they're a bit of an odd colour, aren't they?

Inuyasha didn't even bother trying to say anything, seizing the spoon that she gave him and starting in on the broth. It seemed that he was as hungry as Miroku had been. Kagome looked down at her omelet, now that it seemed conversation had pretty much vanished, and found that it was less than half-eaten.

Mrs. Higurashi turned to the doorway, lifting an empty plate off the table from where some member of the family had finished eating. "Father, why don't you take Souta to get dressed?" she asked the old man. "I'm cleaning up the kitchen, and there's no need for you two to watch." She smiled at them, then turned to Miroku. "Why don't you go too? You could probably use some sleep..." He stood up gratefully.

The old man nodded, putting a hand on Souta's shoulder and leading him out of the room. "Come on, boy."

Inuyasha stopped eating abruptly, a very odd look on his face. He pushed the bowl away. "All right," he said. "Can I have some real food now?"

"You didn't finish the broth," pointed out Mrs. Higurashi.

"Keh! I don't need to finish it to know when I don't want any more," said Inuyasha.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "Well, it's either you finish the broth or you don't eat until lunch," she said.

Kagome smiled at him. "_Then_ you can have more of the same."

Inuyasha started back in horror. "No! I'm through eating this funny water." He crossed his arms. "I won't finish it."

Mrs. Higurashi picked up the bowl. "Well then you'll have broth for lunch, too, and for dinner, until you can at least finish it."

"If you're finished," said Kagome, standing up and putting her now-empty plate on the counter, "then it's time to go back to bed."

He scowled at her. "Hell no!"

Kagome took hold of his arm and got him to stand. "You shouldn't even be up yet in the first place," she told him, leading him to the door without letting go of him. "I'm surprised that you can even stand."

As if to prove her point, he stumbled as they went out the doorway and would have fallen if she hadn't been holding him. He glared at her.

"Bitch."

"It's hardly _my_ fault you got yourself shot," she said. "So don't try blaming me. Even if I do look like this Kikyou person."

At the mention of that name, his eyes wavered and he looked away. "Shut the bloody hell up about her," he muttered as she led him back into the guest bedroom. "I don't ever want to hear her name again." _Least of all from _your_ mouth_, he added inwardly. _Why do you have to be so similar to her anyway_?

Kagome watched him nervously as he lay down in the bed again. She'd expected him to protest far more, but it seemed that the simple act of speaking Kikyou's name had worked to calm him down better than anything else she could have thought up.

_Well, what do you think_? she scolded herself. _She _shot_ him, for crying out loud! She tried to _kill _him! He must be at least a little bit afraid of her, too... what if she comes after him again? Would we... would we be able to stop her?_

She closed the door behind herself, leaving Inuyasha alone with his thoughts.

**::00::::00::**

Well, there it is... chapter 5. They definitely _are_ getting shorter... well, the plot will also start to pick up soon. Oh, and no, Inuyasha DOES remember Miroku from his past... but his memory of the time on the road in Chapter 1 is a bit foggy. So, for all he knows, waking up in the guest room is the first time he's seen Miroku in years.

I'm quite ashamed. I thought I'd gotten my update schedule fixed... but I seem to have missed the date by a couple of days. Maybe I should extend the schedule a bit more... the chapters have been getting longer, after all...


	6. Innocence

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own any of the other associated characters.

**:00:00:**

The moment Kagome left the room, Inuyasha rolled onto his side and bit back a moan. It was all he could do not to curl up and clutch at his stomach; if he did _that_ he knew he wouldn't be able to leave the position, and then what would he do if someone came in?

All that staggering around and bumping into things had renewed the horrible ache left behind by the gunshot wound. To top it off, he must have drunk that broth too quickly—it wasn't only the wound that was hurting. All together, it made him quite angry; mostly at himself, and partially at everyone else. Why did they all have to be fucking _right_ all the time?

But mostly, he was angry at… at _her._ Kikyou.

_Damn her_, he thought, gritting his teeth to hold back another moan. There was something rough under his cheek, which he slowly realized was the wool of his discarded toque… well, Miroku's toque. He ignored it. _Damn her_, he thought again. _And damn me, too, for thinking that… for believing that… Damn her!_

As the pain began to subside, very slowly, he closed his eyes and cast around for something else to think about. There was an ample supply of topics, it seemed, all clamouring for his attention. Trying to focus, he allowed himself to relax in the bed, tuning out his surroundings for the first time in a long while.

The first question that came into his mind was of how exactly he had gotten here. He had a fairly good idea already, but no one had confirmed it… probably because he hadn't taken the trouble of asking. He could still try to puzzle it out, though…

He could remember all of the events leading up to his being shot, though he'd much prefer to simply forget, and then there was a long stretch of nothing. He must have been knocked out within seconds of being shot, and then he'd been brought here while he was unconscious. That much was obvious. Someone must have found him—_taken pity on the freak bleeding to death in the woods_, he thought with a renewed surge of anger—and taken him in.

Where did Miroku come in, though? Inuyasha was fairly positive that the older boy was indeed the same Miroku he'd known as a child, but how he'd ended up _here_ was a complete mystery. As far as Inuyasha knew, Miroku had moved away into the city… not out into the middle of nowhere (Inuyasha could tell that this house was definitely _not_ in some major population centre… the lack of outside noises was a big giveaway. He'd never been to a place with many people, but he knew that where there were lots of people there tended to be lots of noise, and the only noise coming from outside right now was the faint whistling of the wind). Perhaps Miroku knew Kagome's family…? But that wasn't the case, Inuyasha could tell just by the way Miroku treated them that he'd never seen any of them before in his life. Hell, he was even still calling Kagome's mother 'Miss' without so much as a surname to add to the title.

Inuyasha knew for a fact that the family's name was Higurashi… Thanks predominantly to the fact that there was a small, neatly printed white label stuck to his pillow, just below his right eye.

So Miroku had met this family only recently, and hadn't yet been given a formal introduction. It stood to reason, then, that Miroku had been the one who'd found him… in which case, it wasn't pity that had brought him here, but the fact that someone had recognized him. Inuyasha relaxed again, not even having realized that he'd tensed. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was pity.

_Funny how the world works_, he thought, opening his eyes to gaze at the rain-streaked window. _For everyone who betrays you, there's another idiot willing to take you in…_ He didn't know whether he was thinking of Miroku or the Higurashis, or even whether his slightly muddled mind made any distinction between them. He was tired again, and the hat was itching his cheek and getting steadily harder to ignore. Moving was so hard… he would have to settle for thinking.

He tried to remember everything he could of Miroku, but could only come up with a small dark-haired boy who seemed perpetually happy, who had lots of friends that Inuyasha could never meet. If it weren't for the strange instinct that told Inuyasha who he knew and who he didn't know, he probably never would have recognized the older Miroku at all. He seemed… embittered almost, despite all his politeness. As if he'd seen things, knew things that had come close to breaking him.

Inuyasha cast his mind back again, determined to remember more. The little Miroku had always been talking, often about his parents… he'd seemed surprised when he found out that Inuyasha didn't have a father, and talked about how his father was going to train him to use some mystic power. Inuyasha hadn't thought anything of it, though every time the topic came up Sesshoumaru would get annoyed…

Wait a minute. A mystic power? Set aside for now the fact that Miroku was a male… could it be the same as Kikyou's miko powers? Inuyasha continued to stare at the window, all pain forgotten as his mind worked furiously. Was this why his mother had let Inuyasha associate with the older human boy? At the time, Inuyasha had just been grateful for company that wasn't his adult half-brother Sesshoumaru, he'd never given any thought as to why Miroku was even allowed to enter the house.

Maybe Mother had thought he could help? Even if he _was_ only a child…

Wrapped in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice when the door opened behind him. Rolling over quickly and concealing a wince as his stomach protested the sudden movement, he glared at the intruder.

Kagome glared impatiently back at him, closing the door behind herself before moving further into the room. Inuyasha's mind tried to remind him of the last niggling question, how Kagome could look so much like another woman whose name he refused even to _think_, but he ignored it in favour of returning the glare.

"Oh, stop that," said Kagome sharply, moving to the bedside. There was something in her hands. "I swear, you have to be the worst patient I've ever encountered!"

He snorted. "I'm sure you have _so_ much experience," he said. He nodded towards the objects she was now placing on the bedside table. "What the hell are those?"

She glanced down. "These are new bandages," she told him, holding them up, "because _those_ haven't been changed since you got here. These are painkillers." She held up a tiny white bottle and shook it slightly so that it rattled before putting it down beside a glass full of water. "I won't give them to you if you don't behave, though, so…"

"Whatever," he interrupted her. He'd never seen that little bottle before, or anything remotely like it, but if she honestly thought they would help… his attention, however, was mostly drawn to the last object she held—a nasty-looking instrument if he'd ever seen one. "What is _that_?"

She looked down at it, somewhat surprised. "This? It's an oral thermometer."

"What's it do?" he asked her suspiciously, even as she opened her mouth to tell him just that. She shot him a glance to tell him just what she thought of his rudeness, then continued.

"It's to take your temperature," she told him. "I don't care what sort of front you put up, if that wound gets infected you could get really sick. This is to check if you have a fever."

"How does it work?" he asked, slightly curious despite himself. The 'thermometer' had a very unsettling look to it, and he had to wonder what the need was for such a thing. Checking for fever was easy enough, after all—you just needed a decent ability to sense heat.

"Well," Kagome began slowly, "it works by… well, you put it in your mouth, and it senses the temperature and gives a reading. I'd demonstrate, but then this one wouldn't be sterile." She watched him with no small amount of confusion. He didn't know what a _thermometer_ was?

Inuyasha was frowning again. _Senses the temperature_… an inanimate object? _Sterile_… and this was going in his _mouth_? "I'm not letting that thing anywhere near me," he growled at her.

She sighed in frustration. _What is _up_ with this guy_? "Inuyasha, I have to know if you have a fever," she said with as much patience as she could muster.

"Well I don't," he snapped at her. "I'm a hanyou, wench! I don't _get_ sick!" This was a blatant lie, but she didn't need to know that—he was fairly certain that his body's period of vulnerability was long over… and anyway, he knew for a fact that his mother had never used one of those… _things_ on him.

"There's a first time for everything," she snapped back. "I'll bet you've never been _shot_ before either, have you?" Before he could think of a reply (it was true, after all), she was leaning towards him with the thermometer in hand. He flinched away and she stopped staring down at him incredulously.

"Oh, for the love of…" she moved her hand slightly and watched him twitch again. "It's not going to _bite_, you know! It's no different than sticking a fork or something in your mouth…" She paused, considering. "Well, I suppose it is a _bit_ different… I mean, forks aren't made of glass and full of mercury… but still—"

"Mercury?" He'd cut her off again, but her renewed annoyance was brought up short by the horror on his face. He'd gone pale quite suddenly. Then, before she could even move, he had twisted sideways and was trying to grab the thermometer out of her hand.

"What—what are you doing?" she yelped, pulling it out of his reach just in time. It seemed that he couldn't sit up, and for once she was grateful for this; it meant that he couldn't reach behind her and try to grab it again.

"Don't you know _anything_, bitch?" he snarled at her. "Mercury is _poison_!" Do you want to _die_ or something?"

She stared at him for long moments. He stopped trying to reach around her and looked up at her face instead, perplexed.

"Didn't you hear me?" he said, a measure of uncertainty creeping into his voice now. Why wasn't she doing anything? "You'd better throw it away, wench! Now!"

Kagome stared at him for a few moments more, the edges of her mouth twitching slightly. Then, suddenly, she began to laugh.

"O-oi! What the hell is so funny?" he demanded when she didn't stop, peering up at her with anger and confusion mingled in his golden eyes. "What are you laughing at?"

"Y-you," she gasped out, still laughing. "You honestly… you really have never seen a thermometer before, have you?"

"Of course I haven't, my mother was smart enough not to stick me full of _mercury_ when—if I ever got sick," he retorted. "Not that I ever did," he added hastily.

This sent her into waves of fresh laughter. _I really shouldn't be laughing_, she thought desperately, trying to stop, _but he's… oh, it's just so _funny! "Then you… you never really…" Kagome lifted her hand to brush her hair out of her face, her back shaking with laughter. _Ohh… explaining this is going to be interesting_…

The movement was a mistake. Faster than she could blink, Inuyasha's hand shot out and grabbed hold of the thermometer. Belatedly, she tried to pull it back—the result, of course, being that the fragile glass tube shattered into several pieces and spilled the aforementioned chemical over both of their hands.

Kagome shrieked, jumping up. "Ah! Idiot! You broke it!"

He pulled his hand away and started rubbing at it furiously with his other hand. She stopped him hurriedly. "Don't touch it! Wait here, I'll go get Mom."

He froze in the bed as she ran out of the room, calling for her mother. He could see the red liquid on his hand. It looked like blood, though he knew he hadn't been cut by the glass… wasn't mercury supposed to be grey? Or maybe Kagome had been cut… a sick feeling began to grow in his stomach. Had he inadvertently caused Kagome to get poisoned? He knew about mercury, his mother had known about it and so had Kikyou, apparently it could be deadly… was Kagome going to die? The sick feeling just kept growing, but he didn't move.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kagome ran back in with her mother. Her hand was clean. Mrs. Higurashi instantly bent down with a cloth in hand and wiped off his hand until there was no trace of the thermometer's ex-contents on it, then knelt and cleaned all the broken glass and the rest of the chemicals off the floor.

"Will it be all right, mum?" Kagome asked anxiously. "I know mercury's really bad for you…"

Inuyasha snorted at her ignorance. "_Really bad for you_? That stuff can kill you, wench! What the hell were you thinking, bringing that in here?"

"Well, it wasn't dangerous so long as it stayed _in the tube_," she retorted, and would have continued had her mother not begun to giggle.

Mrs. Higurashi tried to contain her laughter as both her daughter and Inuyasha turned to glare at her, but it was difficult. "Is that what you were so concerned about, dear?" she said to Kagome. "Well, I'm afraid you needn't have worried… all the thermometers in our house are full of red alcohol, not mercury!"

She folded up the cloth and placed it on the bedside table, turning to place a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Would you like to go into the other room, dear? I can change Inuyasha's bandages…"

Kagome smiled weakly, touching her hand unconsciously. Inuyasha felt a stab of guilt as he noticed that it was indeed cut slightly. Mrs. Higurashi didn't seem to have noticed. "No, mum, I can do it," she said. "Why don't you go see to Souta? Isn't he going to a friend's house today?"

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her. "Certainly, dear." She glanced down at the cloth on the table with something like amusement lingering on her face. "Would you like another… uh… thermometer?"

"Hell no!" burst out Inuyasha, at the same time as Kagome replied dryly, "no thanks, mum. Maybe later…"

Mrs. Higurashi laughed again, picking up the dirtied cloth and leaving the room. Kagome was left standing in the middle of the room, staring at Inuyasha, who stared back.

"This is only because I've decided to believe you about not getting sick," said Kagome warningly, finally moving to sit down in the chair again.

"Keh! What's not to believe?" he responded, watching her move. The faintly mocking look on her face right now reminded him more of Kikyou than ever, and he tried not to shudder.

Kagome shrugged, reaching out for the bandages again. For a time they sat in silence, while Kagome carefully pulled away the older, bloodied bandages and replaced them with the new ones. She couldn't help but cringe every time she saw the wound—but she would keep going, because Mother was busy downstairs getting the shop ready and sending Souta off to his friend's, and she had been entrusted with this task. She managed to keep the feeling off her face, though… but it was hard. She'd never seen so much blood before in her life, even though the wound was closing…

Inuyasha tried to lie still and not wince as she tightened a bandage across his abdomen. It seemed that the wound was healing cleanly, at least—morbidly he wondered what had happened to the bullet, as there was no exit wound. Nobody else seemed to have thought of that, and he wasn't about to mention it.

_Ahh, it doesn't matter_, he thought dismissively, nearly biting through his tongue as Kagome settled another strip of gauze into place. _Youkai healing powers'll take care of it soon enough_…

Finally Kagome finished her task, resisting the urge to pat the edges flat as she knew it would only hurt him more. _Idiot,_ she thought almost fondly, watching as he opened his eyes slowly. _Are you trying to make me think it doesn't hurt_?

"Finished?" he whispered.

"Yup," she said lightly, standing and pushing a small trashcan back beneath the bedside table. It was nearly filled with the discarded bandages. "You okay?"

He turned his head to stare at the window once again. "Keh! Of course," he said, though his voice was softer than usual.

Kagome's eye fell upon the remaining items on the table. "Do you want a painkiller?" she asked him.

"No," he said in the same quiet voice.

_Crazy_, she thought, frowning at him. She picked up the tiny bottle, leaving the glass of water, and then hesitated, reluctant to leave. _It has to be so boring, in here all alone_… Briefly her concern with his mental state warred with concern over his physical condition… and surprisingly, it won out.

"Hey," she said, "do you want to come into the other room for awhile?"

"Hm?" he turned slightly so that he could see her. "No…"

"You sure?" she said coaxingly. "I know it can't be much fun just staying in here all the time."

"I'm fine!" he said sharply.

"You don't ever get lonely?"

He hesitated for a little bit too long. "Keh! Of course not!' he said, and coughed suddenly. "Just go, wench," he muttered when the coughing had stopped.

"Come on," she said, trying not to let her feelings show on her face. Why was he so _sad_? She almost preferred the anger… "Just for a minute, okay? I think Miroku's watching TV in there…"

"The bouzu?" Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "I thought he was supposed to be asleep."

"Well he isn't," said Kagome. It was true, her mother had told Miroku to sleep, but the last time she'd seen him he was leaning back on the couch and watching some sort of news show. For some reason she'd been surprised by that; she'd felt silly a moment later, of course. What else would he be watching? Pornography?

"All right," said Inuyasha after a moment, interrupting her thoughts. "I'll go."

"Okay!" Kagome grinned at him. "Here…" she held out her hand and he took hold of it after a moment. He surprised both of them by getting up without much help. She started out of the room, still holding his hand, and he followed her, careful not to stumble. Inuyasha's ears twitched as he entered the hallway—he could hear Mrs. Higurashi downstairs with Souta and the old man, and there were strange noises coming from the room Kagome was leading him to…

Miroku looked up when they entered, grinning at Kagome and then sitting up in surprise when Inuyasha followed her. "Inuyasha! Are you sure you ought to be…"

"Stow it, bouzu," growled Inuyasha, allowing Kagome to lead him to an armchair. He glanced curiously at the television as he sat down. "I don't see you as being in any position to talk."

Miroku sighed. "Still as rude as ever, eh, Inuyasha?" He pressed the mute button on the remote control, leaving the news anchorman to mouth silent syllables at an unseen camera. "Well, I suppose if you've been deemed well enough to come in here, you're well enough to answer a few questions…"

Inuyasha was at a loss as to what to say. If he refused to answer, that would be the same as admitting weakness. But he wasn't sure whether Miroku would ask him questions that he'd be willing to answer… "Fine, bouzu," he said at last. "Just be quick about it." Kagome sat down in a chair opposite, listening intently and adding to his trepidation.

"Firstly," said Miroku, leaning forwards on the couch, "I must ask you to stop using that nickname for me. Would you prefer that I called you hanyou out in public?"

Inuyasha frowned. "I don't see how that would be a bad thing," he began.

"Inuyasha, I'm beginning to wonder whether your mother ever _did_ tell you why you weren't allowed out of the—" Miroku broke off when he remembered Kagome's presence. She was staring at him with a very odd look on her face. "Well, Inuyasha, people don't exactly welcome the presence of hanyou, or even youkai, in their midst," he said. "You're lucky even to have found this house."

"Keh," said Inuyasha, glaring at the television. Kagome was brought out of her confused wonderings when she noticed the look on his face—the same look as he'd had upon seeing the thermometer. _He's not going to tell me he's never seen a television either_? she thought with disbelief.

"Fine," said Inuyasha at last. "I'll stop using the nickname—_Miroku_."

"Good," said Miroku, settling back on the couch. "Now, next question. I suppose part of it's been answered already, but… what exactly happened to you last night? Obviously it culminated in you being shot, but the events preceding that are still unknown."

"Does it matter?" said Inuyasha, still glaring at the television. "A bitch named Kikyou tried to kill me with a shotgun, and that's all you need to know." _Bitch_, he thought sourly. _I thought she was going to… to… and then she shot me_!

"I'm afraid that's not enough," said Miroku calmly. "For instance, we already know that your would-be murderer was named Kikyou, but we don't know _why_ she shot you, or what you were doing that warranted her doing it."

"If I knew _that_, bouzu, I wouldn't be here right now!" snarled Inuyasha.

"I told you not to call me that," said Miroku, unperturbed as ever. Kagome was looking slightly distressed. "So you claim not to know why you were shot."

"Yeah," said Inuyasha unwillingly. To have had even that much information dragged out of him went against all of his instincts.

"Hm," said Miroku thoughtfully. "Well, at the very least you seem to have known this Kikyou woman somehow, prior to her… ah… shooting you, anyway."

"Yeah," said Inuyasha, not looking away from the television. His expression was caught somewhere between annoyance, reluctance, and growing curiosity. Kagome nearly laughed as the image on the screen changed, causing him to jump. It was obvious that he was becoming distracted.

"Care to tell us anything more about this woman?" said Miroku when Inuyasha failed to elaborate.

Inuyasha turned away from the television and fixed him with a glare. "No."

Miroku sighed. "Very well, do you have any ideas as to why she may have shot you?"

Inuyasha turned away with a snort. "Sorry to disappoint." Suddenly his eyes widened.

Kagome followed his gaze to the television screen, and Miroku, seeing the expressions on both of their faces, lifted the remote and turned the sound back on.

The screen had just flashed onto an image of a young girl's face, a pale face framed by a mass of straight black hair. The announcer's voice cut back in and droned on as if it had never been interrupted. "…body found in a ditch early this morning. The girl's identity has been confirmed by local authorities to be Dosei Kikyou, a resident of the town of…"

"Turn it off," growled Inuyasha, struggling upright.

_Wow_, thought Kagome, watching the screen as the picture of the girl—Kikyou, she supposed—was replaced by an image of some trees. _No wonder Inuyasha thought I was her… we could be twins…_

Miroku was frowning at Inuyasha. "What—" he began.

"Turn it fucking _off_!" shouted Inuyasha. He dove off the chair towards the television, landing on his knees and fumbling with the controls. His claws dug long gouges in the stiff plastic beside the knobs.

"Quickly!" Kagome hissed to Miroku, frightened for the condition of their only television. Miroku lifted the remote slowly and pressed the power button. Inuyasha sagged against the screen as it went black, panting.

There was a long silence. Inuyasha pressed both his hands against the ground, breathing in long gasps and staring at the ground with his face hidden by his long hair. Finally he turned to face them, amber eyes flashing with anger once more.

"What?" he demanded.

"That was the woman who shot you, wasn't it," said Miroku. It wasn't a question.

Inuyasha sat down in front of the television, folding his arms across his chest. "Yes."

Kagome looked from Miroku to Inuyasha. "She's… dead?" That was probably the last thing she'd expected. The look on Inuyasha's face was also the last thing she would have expected. She wouldn't have thought he would be happy, but… why would he look so…

"Keh! Would you all just shut up!" yelled Inuyasha suddenly, leaping awkwardly to his feet and swaying slightly. "I don't care and that's it!"

Miroku watched him, his face blank. "I never said that you… oi!"

Faster than Kagome could track with her eyes, Inuyasha had run out of the room.

**: 00:00:**

Fixxorz of typo... whoops... (there aren't any computers in teh AU-world, by the way)

Woo, longer chapter that time… anyway, there were a few Japanese words in here. Yes, I know it's not set in Japan, but I'll still use a few of the words… I have my reasons.

No, Kagome is NOT an idiot... in my experience people generally assume that thermometers contain mercury, no matter what colour the stuff inside of it is... well, my beta says otherwise, but _I_ think so anyway, so... it's staying as it is!

_Dosei_ means clay… makes sense, for Kikyou, ne? _Bouzu_ basically means idiot monk, something along those lines. Why Inuyasha still calls Miroku that in this AU will remain secret for a little bit longer, though. (I'm going for the slow approach in terms of giving things away.)

As for a question that was asked in a review… it was a very good question, and I had the answer posted briefly… before I realized that I probably shouldn't have done that. There is a reason for it, I assure the asker… it just won't become evident for a little while.

Taa!


	7. Snow

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**::00::::00::**

Miroku and Kagome sat still for a few moments, neither one moving an inch as the sound of rapid footsteps receded down the hallway, followed by a loud slamming noise, a crash, and then finally silence. Miroku dropped the remote as if it were red hot and seconds later was on his feet, fairly lunging off the couch and hurling himself towards the door that Inuyasha had disappeared through scant seconds earlier. But he didn't have the same speed that the silver-haired hanyou possessed, and so when he finally cleared the door, there was no trace of the other boy in the hallway.

Kagome spared the television a split-second glance—what had _that_ been about?—and then she was up too and following Miroku hurriedly. The dark-haired boy was already halfway down the hallway by the time she left the living room, but she closed the distance quickly and they reached the guest room at the same time.

The window above the bed had been thrown open and was now beginning to swing shut in the wind. Miroku leaped onto the bed and caught it before it could, pushing his entire upper body out the window to look around. Kagome was presented with a rather odd view of his back.

Miroku ignored the cold wind that blew into his face and tried to force his short hair out of its ponytail. He turned his face from side to side, trying desperately to catch a glimpse, any glimpse, of the hanyou. It was obvious now that whatever Inuyasha had gotten himself into, it was larger than he'd originally assumed… _well, what do you think_? He mentally berated himself. _He was _shot_! Who uses guns in this world, aside from gangs and the police? If he's gotten into that sort of thing… did he murder this Kikyou woman? Did she shoot him in self-defense?_ Even as the thoughts flooded into his head he rejected them. Something deep within his mind could not for a second believe that Inuyasha had done, would do or would even _consider_ doing such a thing. But still…

The sky was beginning to cloud over once more, dark-bellied masses of white and leaden grey rushing in from the north and well on their way to covering the sun. It would rain again soon, or snow, judging by the current temperature, and if Inuyasha was outside in this… in his current condition… hell, he wasn't even wearing a _shirt_!

"Shit," he commented, pulling himself back in. He turned to see Kagome standing close behind him. She looked back at him worriedly.

"Wh-what did he do?" she asked.

"He's left," Miroku bit out. _Idiot!_ "In below-freezing weather, wearing nothing but his pants and his hair, and a barely-healed gunshot wound…" Not to mention if something happened, Miroku's hat was still lying on the pillow—anyone could see his ears, if they got the chance to look… Miroku jumped off the bed and strode towards the door.

"He went out the _window_?" said Kagome in disbelief, climbing up and leaning out the window momentarily as well, looking down with a sort of ghastly anticipation as though expecting to see the hanyou spread across the pavement.

Miroku paused, just beside the door, and turned briefly to smile grimly at her. "Remember, Kagome, he's not human."

"I… I know, but… wait!" Kagome pulled the window shut quickly, latching it so that it couldn't blow open, and then scrambled off the bed and rushed over to keep him from leaving. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to look for him, of course," said Miroku, eyeing her as though she were crazy. "I _can't_ leave him out there alone, Kagome…"

"I know _that_," she said impatiently. "I'm going with you."

He frowned down at her. "You're… you're what?" He looked honestly shocked, and Kagome wasn't sure whether or not to be offended.

She chose not. "I'm not letting you look by yourself," she said. "What if you get lost? A city boy like you can't know his way around all these little country roads, and where would you go then?"

Miroku's face was devoid of all emotion as he watched her face. She stared back at him, unsure what to think. "All right, then hurry," he said at last, and without further ado turned and left the room.

He paused as he entered the hallway, unsure which door to go through. Kagome quickly pulled two coats and a scarf off the wall just beside her door, shoved one at Miroku, and then darted past him and hurried towards a door on the right-hand side of the corridor. Pulling on her coat at the same time, she opened the door to reveal a familiar narrow staircase.

The small bookstore was brightly lit, but the desk with the cash register on it had not yet been readied for use. Mrs. Higurashi stood near the front of the store, waving goodbye to Souta and Kagome's grandfather as the two warmly dressed figures moved off along the snowbound road.

"Have fun at Shiro's house," she called out, taking a step back from the door so as to give herself space to close it.

"Bye mom!" Souta yelled back, his voice sounding thin and lost amidst the icy brightness of the outdoors. One small mittened hand waved towards the house as his grandfather led him away by the other.

Mrs. Higurashi waved back, smiling, and closed the door, latching it at the same time. Not against breakins, but just because the house was getting to be too old to keep things unlocked… the strong winds of winter way up in the countryside could force the rotting wood to give way. Really, a new door would be best, but where they could obtain one in Aneston was a mystery… Her mind already turning to other things as she stepped away from the front of the store, she jumped when she saw Miroku and Kagome. Miroku picked idly at the coat Kagome had given him… it was pale pink, and he supposed that it was one of Kagome's older ones. _Inuyasha will laugh himself silly when he sees this_, he thought, refusing to even consider the possibility of them not finding him.

"Oh, hello dear," she said, smiling as the two ran up, panting slightly. "I'm sorry, Kagome, but work will start late today. I have to clean up after last night." She motioned towards the now rather brownish stain of dried blood that Inuyasha had left on the green carpet some hours earlier. Beside it, ready for use, was a bucket of soapy water and a mop.

"I'm not here for work," Kagome told her mother, between breaths. She began to wrap the scarf properly around her neck. "Inuyasha's left and we have to find him!"

"Left?" Mrs. Higurashi frowned. "How? He didn't come through the shop…"

"It doesn't matter," Miroku interrupted. "The point is, I need to search for him, and Kagome has agreed to come along."

"Oh dear," said Mrs. Higurashi, her frown sliding smoothly from confusion to concern. "Do you know where he is?"

Kagome shook her head. Miroku sighed. "That's why we need to look," he told her. "Miss, may your daughter accompany me in my vehicle?"

"You have a car?" said Mrs. Higurashi.

"Yes, it's just outside," said Miroku, beginning to get impatient. They had to go _now_, before anything happened… they could already be too late. He desperately hoped that they were not… "Miss, may we leave now?"

"Kagome…" began Mrs. Higurashi, but Kagome, anticipating what she was about to say, broke in quickly. The girl strode towards the door purposefully, grabbing Miroku's arm as she went.

"Mom, we're going _now_," she said. "Bye!"

Mrs. Higurashi could only stand and watch in bemusement as Kagome unlatched the door and ran outside. She closed the door behind them and looked through the frozen glass for a few moments, until the small blue car had turned a corner and was out of sight. Then she turned away with a sigh. _I'm a fool..._

She didn't know why she already trusted the young man… she'd only just met him, after all, and by all appearances he could very well be involved in something shady. The same held true for Inuyasha. But there was something about the both of them… perhaps it was Miroku's politeness, or the strange sense of innocence she'd received upon her first glimpse of Inuyasha's golden eyes. But for the moment, all that she knew for certain was that it wasn't only her daughter she was worried for…

_Or perhaps I'm just an old fool_, she thought, sighing, and moved towards the mop and bucket. _Kagome… hopefully, you know what you're doing. Miroku… if he's not telling the truth… well, there's little I can do _now_, is there? We don't have a car… and they're long gone by now…I suppose I made my decision when I didn't run to the door. If they don't come back… if they don't return, I will call the police, whatever the consequences are. And I still have a shop to clean…_ It was easy to distract herself with work, shove the doubts into a small corner of her mind where the overwhelming sense of trust could eat away at them slowly.

_Hmm… what on earth happened to all of our new merchandise?_

**:0:**

Upon first entering Miroku's car, Kagome smothered a gasp. The air within was thick with the stench of blood, and when she glanced into the backseat, she discovered why. The beige upholstery was splashed liberally with the dark liquid, it had gathered in small congealing pools in the crevices of the seats and around the belt holders. It was freezing cold, too, but that didn't seem to hinder the smell one bit.

"Miroku, your car…" she managed, trying not to hold her breath in case it offended him. He was already closing the door to the driver's seat beside him, and one glance at his expression told her that he had noticed the state of the air as well.

"I know," he murmured back. "I couldn't clean it, I'm sorry…no time…"

"It's okay," she replied, wishing that she could open the window. Miroku pushed the key into the ignition and turned it, receiving a faint clunking noise as the engine turned over once. Kagome clenched her hands in her lap, hunching over slightly from the cold inside the car. _If I don't get carsick it'll be a miracle_, she thought faintly.

"Damn," he said, and tried it again. _Stupid cold weather... why couldn't this have happened in the summertime_? This time the engine started up and the car lurched forwards as he pressed the gas pedal a little bit too hard. Quickly he regained control and drove off as quickly as he dared along the icy road. Last night's rain has not washed the snow off the roads, it seemed, but had simply coated the snow in a thick layer of ice. _Lousy driving conditions… _He tried to shake off the nervousness that had returned to him in full force upon entering the car. He _still_ hadn't even had time to think his way through the events of three days ago… the explosion… he would like to forget everything, but that wouldn't help anything, would it? He probably shouldn't be driving at all, most likely in is present state of mind he was more of a hazard than anything else, but…

_There are other things to worry about_, he thought, shaking himself internally as he approached a small intersection. The roads in Aneston, now that he got the chance to see them in daylight, were lined on all sides with houses and small shops. Down the roads branching off the main one he could see more houses, and trees, and lots and lots of snow. No sign of the hanyou, though. _As if there would be…stupid, Inuyasha! How could you be enough of a fool to run off _now_, when you're half dead, and into weather like this too!_

Glancing beside himself as he drove, he noticed that Kagome was shivering. _Shit! I forgot how cold it is inside here too… why didn't she bring a warmer coat?_

_Idiot… because the car is heated,_ came his answer. "Oi, Kagome," he said. She looked up, and he noted with dismay that her teeth were chattering slightly. "I'm going to turn on the heating… it might make the smell worse, but do you think you can bear with it at least for a little while?"

She nodded quickly. "S-s-sure," she said, trying to clench her teeth to stop them from chattering. He flicked the knob, hoping he hadn't broken it too when he'd damaged the clock.

Apparently not; moments later a roaring noise greeted them both, and soon a rush of somewhat dusty air blew into both of their faces. At first it was hardly warmer than the rest of the car, but it quickly heated up. Soon the car was warm enough to be comfortable. When it became somewhat stifling Miroku twiddled with the knob a little bit, and the rush of air slowed down somewhat.

Miroku had been right, Kagome reflected as she leaned back in her seat with one hand over her nose. It _did_ make the smell worse. Cloying, bitter… at least she wasn't getting carsick, though that was a small mercy.

_Well, that was weird_, she thought, recalling the scene in the living room just minutes earlier. _I wonder what happened in there? He was really upset… I would have thought he'd be happy to hear that the person who shot him was dead, as gruesome as that sounds. But isn't that how revenge works? _

She stared out the window, perplexed. Miroku was lucky that his car hadn't been snowed on at all during his time inside the house. It didn't take some sort of psychic to tell that he was in a rather bad mood, and stopping to clear the windshield and side windows would probably have aggravated him further. Outside, now that they had left Aneston—it took a pathetically short amount of time to leave the small town—there was nothing but trees, snow, ice and the road ahead.

"Do you know where to go?" she asked him cautiously. Everything looked the same; what if they were heading in the wrong direction?

"I haven't the foggiest notion of where he is right now," said Miroku. He tried to grin; it came out somewhat grimace-like. "Just following my instincts at this point." _And heading towards where I found him yesterday_, he added silently.

"I suppose that ought to work," said Kagome dubiously. She turned her attention back to the countryside passing by outside the window. _Instincts? What's that mean, like a feeling_? Curious, she tried to open her mind further, to what _she_ was feeling at the moment. She nearly stopped after a second or so, feeling silly, but after a glance at Miroku's grim face she kept at it anyway. _Not as if anyone can tell… I mean, it's not like I'm even _doing_ anything…_ What _was _she feeling?

Well, cold, for one thing. The smell from the back seat was making her a little bit dizzy, but she barely noticed it anymore. Her body was very tense, and for some reason, the heat in the car didn't seem to have reached her feet yet. In short, she was very uncomfortable.

But that wasn't all. Kagome was startled to realize that there was another sensation in her consciousness as well. As if there was something affecting her inwardly—an aura. It felt like… well, if she'd still been in Japan, she would have called it a _kehai_. The tangible part of something—or some_one_'s presence. It tingled.

"I feel something," she gasped out before she could even think. Her arm shot up to point through the windshield towards the road, and slightly towards the right. "There!"

Miroku glanced at her in surprise. His hands pulled on the wheel automatically, even as his mind tried to slow them down. _Oi, oi, _she's_ not supposed to be feeling anything! _I'm_ the one with the training here_… But the car was already heading to the right, towards a spot that he vaguely identified as being just a couple of feet away from where he'd picked up Inuyasha the night before.

Kagome wrapped her arms around herself as the _kehai_, the presence, got stronger. "It's in the woods," she said, and as Miroku pulled over with a very confused look on his face she opened the door and tumbled out. Getting to her feet immediately, she began to run into the woods—the boots she'd put on in the stairwell back at her house kept snow off her socks very nicely, it turned out. Miroku ran after her.

_Hang on, I'm feeling something too!_ Miroku tried to keep his jaw from hanging open as he followed her further into the snowbound forest. _She… she was _right! There were no footsteps in the snow to show them a path—perhaps Inuyasha was using whatever vestiges of his youkai powers he still possessed to take this route—but there was no doubt that the silver-haired hanyou had taken this route.

If Miroku hadn't been in such a hurry, he might have paused to appreciate the beauty of his surroundings. He had lived in the city for most of his life, and had rarely seen so much as a photograph of the countryside since he was very small. But now…There was snow on the ground but none on the trees. They, instead, were coated with a thick layer of ice that clung to bare or needled branches alike and made them gleam in the waning grey light. Every time he accidentally touched one of the frozen sprays of twigs they shattered beneath his contact—apparently the ice made them delicate as well as beautiful. It was a pale, crystalline forest that he ran through, a forest wrapped in white and dark brown, with faint hints of green where there were live pine needled beneath the ice. Above, the darkening sky was visible through the mostly barren branches of the deciduous trees.

Kagome began to shiver again as she ran through the ice. It was _hard_—her feet broke through the thin crust of ice into the powder snow beneath, and she had to pull her feet through nearly a foot of cold, clinging particles in order to move forwards. The ice dug into her shins every time she leaned to take a step. It was pathetically slow going. _Stupid! I should have brought a warmer coat… or at least a hat! What, did I think I'd never be leaving the car_? Instead, all she had beneath it was a fool pyjama top and the sweatpants she normally wore to bed. _I didn't even _change_ this morning… I'll be lucky if I don't get sick_…Suddenly, looking down, her breath froze in her chest.

Blood. Just a few drops of it, but up ahead she could see more of it, lurid against the pristine white of the iced-over snow.

_Inuyasha! He must have come this way_! But… if he was bleeding again… Kagome shook her head against the images that threatened to come, of silver hair tangled with blood, dulled amber eyes open but unseeing…

Miroku cursed as he saw the blood. "You were right!" he called to Kagome. "Now if we just follow this…"

Suddenly… "Stop!"

Kagome stopped in her tracks, turning slowly to see Miroku kneel on the ground. He grinned briefly up at her. "Don't want you going ahead, now do I?" He looked down at the ground intently.

"What is it?" asked Kagome breathlessly. "Is something wrong?"

"No," said Miroku, frowning as he stared at the snow beneath him. Beneath the fresh blood there were traces of pink in the snow under last night's ice. _Old blood_… _he came this way last night? Is he going to… to wherever he was when he was shot?_ Miroku stood abruptly. "Come on. We have to hurry."

_Don't have to tell me twice,_ thought Kagome as she began to run once more. Stopping had given the cold a chance to reach her more thoroughly, and by running she could work off the chill that had come. Looking ahead, she could see more blood, splashed liberally onto the snow, and several broken-off branches. Oddly, she didn't even encounter a footprint until she had gone several feet more. _What was he doing… flying?_ However, once she had found the first step, it was accompanied by several more, and then a large swathe of turned-up snow and more blood, as if someone had fallen. She began to run faster upon seeing this. _Oh, no…_

"There!" cried Miroku suddenly. Kagome stopped as quickly as she could. Her momentum was such that it pushed her forwards a couple of steps even after she'd stopped consciously running. She squinted through the trees, her breath misting in the air in front of her face, and inhaled sharply.

There was a large, dark shape huddled up against a tree in a clearing nearby. At first she thought it was Inuyasha and started forwards, but suddenly realized that it was not—in fact, it wasn't even remotely human.

_Youkai_, her mind told her numbly, and she took another, hesitant step forwards. There was more dark blood on the snow, spreading outwards and pooling beneath it. It was clear that it was dead—she wasn't sure how. Perhaps it was because she hadn't felt its presence at all—she could still feel Inuyasha, sense him as surely as if he were standing right in front of her, but this thing gave off nothing to show that it even existed, it was just another piece of the scenery, just another frozen log. Its eyes were still open, she noticed with a shudder. Blank, staring orange orbs, perfectly round, with no eyelids, they contrasted sharply with the dark blue-black skin of its face. Its hands were clawed, like Inuyasha's, but unlike his they had an uncanny similarity to the talons of a hunting bird, horned and calloused. As her eyes continued to move, she kept picking up other differences... the way its ears were pointed, like those pictures of elves she'd heard of in stories... the way its jawline protruded from its face, thick yellowed fangs protruding from beneath its upper lip... the black blood that mingled with the snow beneath it...

It's _dead_, her mind put in helpfully, and she promptly stopped thinking. "What… _is_ that thing?" she said aloud, never mind that she had just thought _youkai_… she didn't know where the thought had come from, everyone knew youkai didn't exist.

Miroku glanced at her, startled, and then back down at the dark shape. After a second's concentration, he could see through its disguise spell, and shuddered. _And I thought… it was disguised as a human!_ Why hadn't he remembered… the question of how Kagome had managed to see through the spell immediately was a matter for future consideration.

"A youkai," said Miroku, running past her and staring down at the thing. He knelt in the snow but didn't touch it. "Freshly killed, too…" Squinting at it, he could see the pattern of the wounds. _Claw marks_…

Kagome, looking around nervously, suddenly let out an involuntary shriek and stumbled back a few paces through the snow. Miroku stood and followed the direction of her wide-eyed gaze. "A-another one…?"

Kagome made a small, choked noise in the back of her throat. "And… and there are _more_…" Now that she knew what to look for, she could see them—dark shapes huddled near trees, or lying on their sides and half-buried in snow. There was blood everywhere.

_And to think, I'd never so much as seen a bad scrape before this,_ thought Kagome, swallowing hard as she struggled to keep from fainting or doing something equally embarrassing. _And now there are… gunshot wounds… and youkai… where do all these things come from anyway? And… and why are they here?_

Miroku suddenly swore and began to run again. Kagome glanced at him, and it took her a moment to push through her distraction and realize what he'd just sensed. The aura—the one they'd been following, the one that felt like Inuyasha, had just flared with some sort of power. Suddenly a liquid, tearing noise rent the air, followed by a snarl. Kagome followed Miroku quickly.

"Shit!" yelled a familiar voice, following the shout up with another tearing sound. "Why—can't I—_fucking_—pick it _up_?"

In a clearing up ahead, something went flying and smashed into a tree. A flare of unnatural light glared off the snow for a few brief seconds.

**:0:**

He ought to have known that youkai would try to get it. Lying there, sparkling almost innocently in the grey winter sunlight, it was a lure no magically inclined creature could resist. With a hole through his stomach, it was all he could do to just keep them off—at least they didn't seem very organized, probably just ruffians who happened to be in the area.

But he hadn't counted on not even being able to lay a finger on it himself.

Inuyasha snarled as he threw the low-level youkai into a tree, ignoring the sickening crack that sounded across his clearing, and then turned back to the object of his frustration. The Shikon no Tama.

**::00::::00::**

Woo, this chapter was HARD! (Writing-wise, anyway… I can't help the feeling that my story is beginning to stagnate. I LOVE the first couple of chapters, and then… right about when the plot starts to kick in… all of a sudden everything gets WEIRD. Please, beta, tell me what I'm doing wrong!)

Yes, you can clean carpets with soap and water. It's a fact. Nonremovable carpets… like the one in the Higurashis' shop… can't just be stuck in a machine and washed like some smaller ones can. I dunno about mops, but it's pretty much anything that'll absorb the water and that you can scrub with without it falling apart. Bloodstains don't come out very easily, though… maybe I ought to have said bleach… but that'd cause discolouring.

If I get anything wrong during my descriptions of… well, anything, just review and tell me. Some of the things I am writing from experience, and some I'm not, so please try to bear my mistakes…

It's really quite funny: my life seems to be paralleling some aspects of the story. About a day after I wrote this scene, I found myself wandering through a forest in much the same conditions as the one near Aneston—about a foot of loose powder snow, and an inch's worth of ice on top of that. Snowshoes would have been a blessing… it took actual _effort_ to push my feet through the layer of ice, and then a lot of concentration to get my feet back out of the holes without tripping on the broken-off edges of the ice. Not to mention that my mother seems to have mysteriously obtained a love of soup… I've had soup for lunch every day since writing chapter five.

And then there's the toque that I got for Christmas… oh, random fact: my beta tells me that a definition for the word toque, found on some dictionary or other, is '_a felt cap with a rolled brim, mostly worn in 17th century France_.' Something like that anyway.


	8. Bonds

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**:00:00:**

_Inuyasha wrapped his arms around himself as he trudged through the snow, looking around. His parka kept out the worst of the cold, but it couldn't keep out all of it, and he was still chilled to the bone. Not to mention, he had no hat; his ears, located in a place he had never (until now) thought of as impractical, were on the verge of freezing._

_But that didn't matter. What __did matter was that soon, it would be over… not just this long trek through the forest, surrounded by falling snowflakes, but the whole ordeal that had been his life until now. It would end… he had finally found the way, his __own way, to make it better once and for all._

_He could live a normal life, in a normal place, with no more heartache and cruelty… a normal life, with normal people… and most of all, with the one person he truly cared about… Kikyou._

_He grinned despite the dropping temperature, teeth chattering slightly._ Soon…

**:0:**

Furious amber eyes regarded the small, faintly pinkish sphere that sat incongruously upon the white snow. Blood streaked the hand that reached out for it once more—and was immediately repelled by a flash of harsh light.

**:0:**

_Through the dark shapes of leafless trees, he finally came to the clearing that had been agreed upon. It felt strange, being in the forest he still considered his own while wearing human clothing. It felt strange being in the clothing at all… he had grown accustomed to his loose-fitting bright red haori, the one he'd grown up wearing out of both convenience and necessity. He smiled both in anticipation and amusement. _Guess now I'll have to get used to these clothes…

_He could hardly stand still in the clearing, looking around at the shapes of the trees surrounding him as if for the last time. After all, it could very well_ be...

_Suddenly a branch broke off a tree behind him. He turned, smiling as he saw who it was. "Kikyou."_

_He was confused when she didn't smile in return, instead regarding him with some indecipherable emotion in her brown eyes. She wouldn't look him straight in the eye, instead simply watching him and shifting her gaze every time he tried to meet it._

_"Kikyou, what…"_

_Uncertainty flashed across her features, and she wavered slightly as she stepped forwards. Inuyasha frowned, thoroughly bewildered, and tried to meet Kikyou's eyes again, moving towards her. If she needed help… "Hey…"_

_Suddenly she raised her arm, stopping him, and he sighed in a sort of relief—so she _was_ going to do it after all, she __would purify him… eliminate the trouble of his warring blood once and for all. The plan would go through… they could live on together, two _humans_, away from all the havoc his existence had caused. He waited for the glow of her miko powers, the glow that would tell him she was starting the job, relief rising again within him._

_The glow never came. He didn't even notice the gun that was in her hand until after she had fired it._

_The pain didn't come until several seconds after he had felt the blow of the bullet. He looked down at where his parka suddenly sported a ragged hole—small and almost innocent-looking. Then the blood began to flow, soaking through the fabric of his coat in a growing black stain. He looked back up at Kikyou and found that he didn't have enough breath left to speak._

_Kikyou was still holding out the gun, still pointing it at him, but the grim mask that had been her face was gone. Her teeth were clenched and she was shaking badly, staring at him through brown eyes that were shimmering oddly in the moonlight. Suddenly she lifted both of her hands and made a sharp gesture. Her own blood flew in droplets, and she pulled her hands apart to reveal a small, glowing pink orb._

_Her mouth moved, and tears began to come, but he couldn't hear a single word she said through the sound of the wind. It filled his ears, filled his head, a roar that drowned out all other sensation._

_Abruptly the world began to fray apart at the edges, but he kept his eyes trained on her, on Kikyou. It seemed almost as though a dark shape was forming behind her… darker than the night sky, darker than the shadows that stretched across the dirty, now pink-tinged moonlit snow… darker even than the horror that brought him first to his knees, then to his side, and finally dragged him into unconsciousness…_

**:0:**

Kagome approached the edge of the clearing slowly, warily, and stopped once she could see into it. There were more youkai lying dead around the clearing, at least five, just as horrible and inhuman than the first, but she couldn't focus on them... for in the centre…

Miroku looked into the clearing, taking in all that it contained—it seemed that he had been right in guessing that Inuyasha had been the one who had killed the youkai, the blood coating the hanyou's hands could not all be his—though with the fact that the hanyou's bandages were soaked through with blood, it was not as easy to tell as it could have been… but upon seeing the smallest, yet perhaps most important detail within the clearing, it felt as though the ground had dropped away from beneath Miroku's feet.

"The… the Shikon no Tama!" he gasped out, staggering back a step. Inuyasha's ears twitched as he heard Miroku's voice, and he turned.

"M… Miroku?" he said. Kagome, upon seeing the tiredness in his eyes, ran forwards on instinct, and he jumped backwards.

"Get away from me, _bitch_," he spat, landing hard on all fours in the snow, looking for all the world like a cat at bay. "I don't need this getting any more complicated than it is!" Blood dripped onto the snow beneath him, sinking in and being rapidly replaced by more.

"Than what is?" said Kagome, puzzled. She took another step into the clearing, horror slowly filling her gaze as she saw that his entire front was covered in the red liquid.

"Miss Kagome! Don't!" cried Miroku from the edge of the clearing, where he had recovered enough to see what she was doing. "That jewel… it's very powerful! If you get too close to it…"

Kagome looked down. There was a small sphere a few feet away, just lying there in the snow. It seemed to be glowing faintly. As she watched, Inuyasha made another attempt to lift it—his fingers slid smoothly off it as light crackled around him. He glared up at her but made no move to attack this time—in fact, he'd stopped moving altogether.

She frowned down at it. "_That_?"

"Yes," said Miroku. Steeling himself, he walked out into the clearing, sighing in relief when the jewel did nothing. Apparently there was some sort of shield over it, one that not only prevented Inuyasha from touching it but also isolated it almost completely from the outside world. Now, if they could figure out what sort of shield it was… If he had the Shikon no Tama, he might be able to get the thing to… well, to change. The force it represented was dangerous enough, and apparently it was impossible to destroy, but if he could alter it… perhaps it would be a sort of vengeance, against what had killed his father. Not a person, but…

"Hm," said Kagome. It was apparent that this jewel was the reason for Inuyasha's coming to the clearing. Or at least, it was his immediate reason. But looking at him—bloodied, panting, sagging against the ground as he watched her—she couldn't _leave_ him here. Problem was, if he'd killed all those youkai, he was probably still strong enough to put up a fight if she tried to get him to come back—and, it seemed, crazed enough to actually do some harm. Unless she could give him some sort of incentive…

Her mind made up, she walked further into the clearing. Inuyasha stumbled to his feet and tried to lunge at her, claws out; Miroku yelped and ran forwards, intercepting him before he reached Kagome and pressing him back to the ground, pinning him to the snowy ground.

"Don't fucking _touch_ it, bitch!" Inuyasha yelled as he fought to stand up against Miroku's grip on his shoulders. "It's mine!"

"I would have to advise the same," said Miroku, his voice slightly strained. He turned his head to watch her. "That jewel isn't safe for…"

Kagome, reaching the jewel, hesitated for only a second before bending down and picking it up. It didn't react in the slightest.

**:00:00:**

It was hot in the brightly-lit Upper Room. The wintery sunlight, always slightly brownish in the inner city, glared off the polished desk beside the windows… the room was emptier than one would expect the center of the nation's politics, its furniture consisting of the desk, a high-backed chair with a somewhat threadbare red cushion laid across its seat and two other chairs near it, as well as several filing cabinets arrayed near the walls. The heating had been turned up far too high, probably at some point during the night—the winter's chill had a tendency to pass right through thick walls. However, that had been amply compensated for—overcompensated, in fact. The room's three current occupants were less than comfortable at the moment—the aforesaid occupants consisting of two politicians, and a single male secretary.

Sarushiro Tono had large beads of sweat rolling down his face, soaking into the collar of his white formal shirt as he sat stiffly in the high-backed chair. No matter that he was, at the moment, the most powerful man in the nation. The secretary, a man currently calling himself Waka had no doubt that Tono's discomfort was due mostly to nervousness.

"Sir," said the third person, a little nervously as well, "Pardon any disrespect, but I think an explanation might be helpful."

Tono's face blanched, and Waka smirked from his position in a chair set beside the desk. He knew the man's thoughts as clearly as if he could read them—after all, it was he who had put them there. It was no struggle not to smirk, as he was used to keeping his emotions concealed, but he did want to.

"Explanations are unnecessary at the moment," said Tono, covering up for his lack thereof. He put on a blustery façade. "There is only the simple question of whether or not you will do as I ask."

"But sir," said the Health Minister, a little desperately now, "there just isn't any _reason_ I can see to cut back the funding for the health care system! It's already strained, and besides that, we're severely understaffed! Because of the cutbacks to Research, we don't know a _thing_ about the new diseases we've had reports of… and _people_ aren't coming! Mr. Sarushiro, I'm not sure whether you understand our situation, but people are losing faith in our system, and that's the first step to a dissatisfied population!" He was squinting at Tono—the window was directly behind the other man, and it no doubt interfered with his sight.

Waka could see the strain shining through the sweat on Tono's face. Tono knew better than anyone what a dangerous position he was in. After all, he was the one who had worked for many long years towards the betterment of the country, learning all that he could about its management, its people, its economy… But those days were over now. Waka grinned to himself, inwardly, as the man continued to squirm. He was happier, now, than he had been earlier. Watching people in distress had that effect on him. Satisfaction… no, not quite yet.

The smug feeling was replaced quickly with annoyance, as he recalled the events that had preceded this meeting. His life as Waka the secretary was not the only identity he held. And a plan of his, a very important one… no, _the_ most important, had just been demolished as surely as if he had crushed it with his own two hands.

It was gone. Forever out of his reach. Why he hadn't simply gotten the girl to hand it over at the beginning, purity or no…

_Stupid, stupid_… he cursed himself. _But I'll have it yet. Idiot human girl… miko or no, I will have it yet_.

Tono was attempting to form a reply, managing not to stammer as he did so. That surprised Waka mildly, as he watched. He had expected him to stutter, to fall over his own words.

Another wry grin. He'd underestimated his own puppet.

Though not by much. It was taking a long time, too long, and the Minister of Health was beginning to watch Tono with confusion. Waka smiled at his own cruel joke, inflicted on the hapless politician, as he recalled the conversation that had preceded the meeting…

**:0: **

_"You'll do it," snarled Waka, belying his innocent secretarial appearance as he seemed to tower over the older man. "You __will__ do this for me, or your mind will be crushed like the fragile thing it is—and you know I will do it."_

_Tono fairly whimpered, cringing beneath the furious gaze. Waka smiled to himself, even as he tried to hold onto his rage—the anger at his ruined plans could be put to good uses every so often, and he would hold onto it as long as possible. Though his glee at Tono's discomfiture was making it difficult…_

_"I will," sobbed Tono, dropping to his knees. "I'll tell him, I'll ruin the city… the __country__… what are you making me __do__?" he cried out suddenly, looking up. "why are you making me do this?"_

_"Shut up," said Waka, annoyed. He was still able to question him? Obviously he wasn't frightened nearly enough. He put a small amount of pressure on the man's mind, as easily as squeezing his hand, and Tono dropped back. "It is not for you to question me."_

_"Will you…" Tono panted, his face ground into the floor as if he couldn't move it away—which he probably couldn't, yet. "Will you at least give me an explanation? He'll want a reason… I have to give him one…"_

_"Make one up," said Waka, sneering as he turned away. "Now go. I'm sure he's waiting for you."_

_He heard Tono's gasping breaths as the man got up, and the sound of scraping footsteps, rapidly gaining speed until he was sure that the politician was running. Much as he would have liked to turn and watch the older man flee in terror, he kept his body averted. _Stupid,_ he thought. _What a stupid man_…_

**:0: **

Of course, that stupidity served its purpose now. It provided ample amusement for Waka— and there was no worry that Tono would carry out the order, in the end. The funding _would_ be cut, whatever the argument the Minister of health put up. Tono, despite being under the thrall of Waka, nonetheless was a very powerful individual.

"We don't have enough of a budget to support public funding any longer," said Tono. "I can't go on giving funds to these services—it's putting an immense strain on out treasury."

"That's no reason for it!" said the Minister of Health. Whatever else he was, he was certainly passionate, Waka noted. "There is no conceivable reason for putting the people's safety at risk—no excuse for endangering lives! As we speak, people are _dying_ in our hospitals because we haven't been getting the support we _need_. If it goes on any longer, we face a crisis, Sarushiro, and that's a fact."

Waka began to wonder whether he ought to find a way to get the Minister out of his way. He didn't particularly _need_ to cripple the health care system… it had been his way of venting on Tono. But it was certainly annoying, to have this man seem to be _winning_ against his puppet.

_Idiot_, he thought, unable to keep a faint frown from crossing his face. Tono picked up on it, and began to panic—but before Waka could even properly enjoy the moment, something in the back of his mind tingled…

It was a sensation he'd felt only the night before, but it still felt so alien to him he nearly missed its relevance as it began to fade. _I can feel it again!_ he thought, mind suddenly coming alive. _It's still there… we are still bonded!_

"I am sorry, Sir Sarushiro, Minister… I need to leave the room for a moment," he said politely, standing up and pushing aside the papers he'd been pretending to peruse. Tono looked over at him, the whites of his eyes shining against his now-flushed face.

"Y-yes, Waka. You may leave," he said, beginning to stammer now. Waka took a moment to enjoy the sensation of the other man's fear as he bowed and left the room.

He recalled the sensation from earlier as he stepped into the much-cooler hallway. The pulse of power, a flare in the aura he was so familiar with… it was far away still, so far that as the power faded it vanished from his senses completely, but the bond was still there. _Still working_…

_It's been found_, he thought, as he walked swiftly along the hallway. _It's been discovered, and the shield that thrice-accursed wench placed on it is gone… _

He allowed a smile to cross his face. _It _will_ be mine… the Shikon no Tama…_

**:00:00:**

Miroku gaped, his grip slackening. If Inuyasha had at that moment tried to make his escape, he probably could have. But the hanyou simply lay where he was, staring at Kagome in shock.

"Well?" said Kagome, holding the jewel up. It was slightly warm against her fingers despite the fact that it had been sitting on snow for quite some time.. Miroku had said it was dangerous… well, she hadn't believed him, and this ought to have been the confirmation…. But now that she'd picked it up she could feel its power, tingling against her fingers, and she knew that if she'd wanted to, she could make it dangerous. But not towards her. Never towards her… "Let's go!"

"How did you… how did you do that?" demanded Inuyasha, lurching to his feet and still staring at her. Miroku stood behind him, ready in case anything happened.

Kagome shrugged. "It doesn't matter," she said, beginning to walk away. "Come on! We've got to get back to the car."

"Car?" said Inuyasha, somehow managing to make the word seem strange and foreign-sounding.

Kagome paused and started to turn, her incredulous look already in place, but Miroku came up from behind Inuyasha and began to push him forwards, one hand on his arm. Inuyasha tore his arm from the other's grasp and stumbled forwards on his own, past Kagome, who had to hurry to catch up.

Miroku watched his childhood friend with concern. If he had used youkai speed to get here, he certainly had none left with which to get out. As he watched, Inuyasha stumbled slightly, nearly falling before he caught himself on a tree.

Kagome reached him just as he was pushing himself away from the icy trunk that was supporting most of his weight. He tried to take another step but the moment he left the tree he began to fall forwards again. Kagome caught him.

"Idiot," she said. "You should know better than to do something stupid like that."

"Like what?" he snarled at her, trying to push her hands away. "Like picking up the fucking Shikon no Tama without even knowing what it _does_?"

"Well at least it didn't half-_kill_ me," said Kagome, "which is more than I can say for you!"

He paused, at a loss for words, and Kagome began to walk forward, still holding him up.

"You're really very stupid aren't you," she said, ignoring his feeble protests. "I mean, it doesn't take a genius to know that you're really badly hurt, and for you to run off on your own is a pretty dumb move. Not to mention that it's the middle of winter, and you run off without even taking the time to get a shirt on or something… I mean, that's pretty crazy! And then there's you even getting shot in the first place…"

He stopped walking. She turned to look at him, startled, as Miroku caught up to them.

"Are you suggesting something?" said Inuyasha softly. He seemed to be looking at the ground—his bangs hid his eyes from view, so she couldn't be sure.

Kagome frowned, realizing the dangerous ground she was treading on—figuratively as well as literally. "Well, I suppose…" she paused. "I guess… I mean, you must have done _something_ in order to be in that sort of situation in the first place, right?"

Inuyasha didn't reply. Suddenly he drew in a long, shaking breath—and dropped to his knees.

"Oi!" Miroku reached out and held him from behind as Kagome looked on, startled. Miroku looked up at her urgently. "We have to get him to the car! Quickly!"

Inuyasha batted his hand aside and tried to stand. "Shut up," he said. "I'm not some sort of… of _invalid_." He spat out the last word, then sank to his knees once more.

Kagome sighed. "Well, you've got to come anyway. And if you can't walk on your own, then we'll have to help you. It's that simple, Inuyasha."

He was quieter after that. It was a relief, but it still worried Kagome—he was almost _too_ passive, allowing himself to lean heavily on Miroku as they made their way through the woods. Miroku had removed the pink coat, gloating inwardly despite the seriousness of their position, and draped it around Inuyasha's shoulders, and Inuyasha hadn't made a single remark. The only movement he had made aside from the walking was to put an arm around his still-dripping bandages. Luckily, whatever _things_ he'd been fighting earlier didn't attack any more... Perhaps he'd beaten all of them, or maybe whatever had drawn them was gone. Miroku didn't bother trying to feel for the jewel's presence, though he knew he probably ought to... there were other things to concentrate on at the moment.

Reaching the car took almost twice as long as had the journey into the woods. The first trip hadn't really been very long at all, perhaps only a minute or so, but it seemed like an eternity before Kagome could see the road, and Miroku's small blue car parked at the side. It had begun to snow lightly, tiny snowflakes drifting down from the sky and between the bare branches of the ice-encrusted trees.

When Miroku pulled open the door to the car's back seat Inuyasha snapped out of the daze he'd fallen into. "What the hell?" he demanded. "What are you doing?"

"This is my car," said Miroku patiently, talking slowly as if to a small child. "I am going to put you_ into_ the car, and then we will leave this place." Kagome was already getting into the back seat, moving to the far side to make room for Inuyasha and grimacing as she avoided the blood.

"How the hell does_ that_ work?" said Inuyasha, resisting as Miroku tried to push him towards the car's open door. "I'm not getting inside that thing!"

Miroku sighed. It was becoming more obvious with each passing minute that Inuyasha really didn't know a lot about the world. The mystery was deepening… not just what had happened to Inuyasha, but what sort of _life_ he'd led after Miroku had moved away. "Inuyasha, the car will not eat you… it is in fact not even alive. There is no way it can possibly harm you. Now please, just_ get in_!"

"Hell no!"

Kagome leaned over impatiently and seized his wrist, pulling on it. "Come on," she said impatiently. "This is the fastest way to get home, so just cooperate for once!"

Inuyasha was pulled into the car with a muffled yelp. He scrambled upright in his seat immediately, holding his nose. "It stinks!" he said.

Miroku got into the driver's seat. "That's one thing that I can attribute to _you_," he said, starting the car. Inuyasha jerked in his seat and pressed himself up against the door.

"What the hell is this thing?" he yelped, clutching the edge of the seat as the car began to move.

Kagome eyed him, confused. Something was amiss here…

"It's my car," said Miroku, getting more impatient with each passing second. "Now please sit still, you're bleeding all over the seat... again."

He made a U-turn and began to drive back to Aneston. The snow of the night before had by this point been washed away entirely, and the new snow hadn't yet contributed enough to actually worsen the driving conditions. While the car sped along, Kagome watched Inuyasha as if by doing so she could unravel the puzzle that he posed. He stared out the window at first, wide-eyed and ignorant of her gaze, but soon seemed to tire of that and slumped against the side of the car—still ignoring her, though whether that was intentional or not was impossible to determine.

_This is really weird_, she thought, fingering the Shikon no Tama in her coat pocket. _One minute, I'm just living my normal life… and now there are youkai coming into the picture! And what about this jewel? And… and Inuyasha…_

_Who _is_ he?_

As for Inuyasha, he was growing steadily more muddled. The almost overpowering scent of his own blood filled the air, clouding all the rest of his senses. The heat within the car made it worse, mingling it with the scents of Kagome and Miroku as well, and then there was the stench of the car itself, a burning chemical scent that added a stinging bite to all the other smells. At first he tried to block it out, leaning heavily against the window, but as they neared the outskirts of the town it became impossible. It was hard to do so much as _think_, as his head began to spin gently, and a wave of nausea began to sweep through his entire body…

"What the hell _is_ this thing?" he said again, trying to sit up weakly.

Kagome watched him briefly, nonplussed. "Come on, we're almost there Inuyasha," she said, as the car passed a sign marking the edge of Aneston. "See? In a minute or so we'll be home."

"'S not it," he mumbled, curling in on himself. "Feel… sick…"

_Carsick_? It took Kagome a moment to think her way around that. _How would _he_ know about motionsickness? Unless_…

"Miroku! Pull over!" she yelped suddenly, leaning forwards in her seat. The car swerved again, grinding to a halt in the slush that lined the edge of the road. Kagome reached around Inuyasha to open the door and all but shoved him out of the car.

He landed hard on his hands and knees and retched immediately, bringing up the broth he'd eaten that morning and thankfully little else. Kagome scrambled out of the car and stood carefully beside him, holding his long hair out of his face while he heaved.

Miroku sat in the driver's seat, not seeing any need to get out. _Who'd have guessed that a hanyou could get carsick?_ he thought with morbid amusement._ Though this is hardly the time to be finding out_…

Inuyasha rubbed a hand across his mouth, panting. Out in the open air once more, the nausea had vanished without a trace, but not before that rather humiliating display of weakness. _Stupid sense of smell_! he thought furiously. "Ugh…"

"Are you all right?" asked Kagome as he sat back carefully. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the moment.

"You'll have to get back in the car, though," she said. "I'm sorry… it's the only way to get back home."

"'Sokay," he said, standing. Now he would have to wait for the vile taste in his mouth to fade (he had _hated_ that broth!), in addition to dealing with the stench inside the car… he took a deep breath of the clearer outside air before going through the car door once again.

Kagome followed him in, closing the door behind herself, and then they were on their way again. Inuyasha closed his eyes and leaned against the door again, keeping his mouth shut firmly in a thin line.

Kagome watched him again, with no small amount of concern. She had always hated to see anyone be unhappy, no matter who they were…_ or how much of a jerk they can be_, she thought with faint amusement. A faint idea was coming to her, and she looked down at her lap thoughtfully. It was a long shot, and if he _did_ throw up again she'd be in a bit of a predicament, but… one glance at him, leaning against the door looking half-asleep and slightly ill, made up her mind for her.

"Hey," she said softly, "do you want to lie down?"

He lifted his head away from the door, peering at her through half-closed eyes. "Uh?" Blinking, he looked down at the seat and then back up at her earnest face. "How?"

Unable to conceal a slight blush, Kagome motioned towards her lap. "You can rest your head on me if there isn't enough space." _Why am I blushing! There's no reason to blush! _She put a hand to her cheek, willing herself to stop.

To her slight gratification, he was now blushing too, staring down at the very dirty seat. "Er…" He glanced down at her lap. "O…okay."

She shifted slightly as he moved away from the window and lay down slowly. The coat that was draped over him shifted slightly, giving her a glimpse of smooth, firmly muscled shoulders, and then she felt the weight of his head settle in her lap.

Despite himself, Inuyasha could feel his body relaxing. Kagome was warm, and it was all he could do to keep from moving in closer. The smell of blood seemed to recede, replaced by the scent of her—like flowers, and the second, unknown scent… mysterious, but equally pleasant.

Kagome watched as his features relaxed further, the tenseness dropping away as if he were falling asleep. His eyes were closed again. He didn't look ill any longer… Her eyes moved across his face, taking in the oddly delicate features once again—thin-bladed nose, the subtle slope of his cheekbones, the way his silver hair framed his eyes… Before she could stop herself she had reached out and gently ran her index finger through his thick fringe, watching how each lock of hair returned to its original position moments after her finger had moved on. To her surprise, he didn't seem to mind—in fact, if she hadn't known better, she would have sworn that he'd moved his head into the contact, just a little bit.

When he spoke, she nearly jumped.

"You… smell nice," he said softly.

"Huh?" She looked down at him, startled. _He just said that I… I smelled nice_, her brain informed her. She could feel her cheeks heating up again.

"Well, better than the car, anyway," said Miroku from the front seat. Kagome looked up to see him looking back in the rearview mirror, with no small amount of amusement in his violet eyes. She flushed deeply.

"Hey!" she said, leaning forwards. "Were you listening?"

"We're in a car," he said, turning his eyes back to the road ahead. His inward laughter was plain in his voice, though. "It's hard to avoid hearing."

Kagome leaned back in the seat, annoyed. Of _course_ it was a car… she had just forgotten briefly, that was all. Anyways, so what? She hadn't said anything embarrassing, after all. Only offered to… to… But that was just to be nice, that was all! Inuyasha was the one who'd said…

_He said that I smelled nice_, her mind informed her again, and the blush returned immediately. She glanced quickly down at Inuyasha, only to see that he was fast asleep. _I'll ask him what he meant later_, she thought, and then mentally slapped herself. _Why would I need to do _that?_ He just said that I smelled nice… he didn't _mean _anything by it_…

She felt a jolt as the car pulled over and stopped once more, shifting backwards by increments as its momentum was reversed. She looked up to see that Miroku had reached her house without her even noticing—there were the familiar red brick walls, and the shop, with the sign in the window now turned over to read open.

Miroku came around the car and opened the door for her while she gently shook Inuyasha's shoulder. "Inuyasha… wake up, Inuyasha. We're there."

He opened his eyes slowly, focusing on her face, and blushed suddenly and deeply. He sat up quickly, muttering something unintelligible under his breath, and waited for her to get out of the car before climbing out of the door after her.

He didn't seem to know exactly where he was or what he was doing. Miroku had to catch him before he ended up face-first on the snow-covered pavement. When he finally stood on his own feet, he swayed badly.

"Wait!" hissed Kagome suddenly, while Miroku was steadying the hanyou. She peered in through the window of the shop and whirled round suddenly. "There are customers in there! We can't go through!"

Miroku paled. Inuyasha had begun to shiver violently despite the pink coat wrapped around his shoulders, and his weight was making it hard for Miroku to move. "We have to!" he hissed back. "He needs to get inside, _now_!"

"I know, I know!" said Kagome. She bit her lip, turning to regard the storefront worriedly. Through the glass, between the parted blue curtains, she could see her mother smiling as she chatted with a tall woman whom Kagome identified as Nazuna… one of the neighbours. There was a man moving through the stacks, too, tall, dark-haired… she didn't recognize him. If they went through the store as they were, it would wreak havoc on the shop's reputation… but it was equally important to get inside as soon as possible.

"Here, get the coat on him properly," she told Miroku, moving to his side and tugging at Inuyasha's pink coat. "Do you have a hat?" she asked as Miroku set to work forcing Inuyasha's right arm into one of the sleeves. Inuyasha did not resist, but neither did he help.

"No," he said. "It's up in the guest room…"

Kagome bit her lip again. As an idea came to her, she reached up and unwrapped her scarf, fashioning it into a sort of floppy hatlike shape, and placed it on Inuyasha's head. It hardly looked normal, but it at least covered his ears.

Miroku had to bite back a laugh despite his growing worry. Inuyasha looked just like a girl!

"All right," said Kagome, after stepping back and considering her handiwork. The coat covered up the grisly bandages completely, and the hat took care of the ears… there was no way to disguise the fact that Inuyasha was only semiconscious, but it couldn't be helped. If they could get through the shop quickly enough, then hopefully no one would notice. "Let's go. Miroku, try to keep him from falling or something."

"Damn it…" muttered Inuyasha, earning a startled glance from them both. "Won't… fall…" Then he lapsed into silence once again.

"Okay," said Kagome, rubbing her hands together. "Let's go."

She opened the door and held it as Miroku walked slowly in with Inuyasha. The bell jingled, attracting the attention of Mrs. Higurashi, who looked up briefly from her conversation with Nazuna. Her eyes widened briefly as she beheld the form of Inuyasha wearing Kagome's old pink coat, with a scarf on his head, and she concealed a smile. Kagome left the door hurriedly, allowing it to swing closed with another jangling of the bell. The strange man, luckily, seemed to be absorbed in looking through the stacks; he didn't even turn his head as they entered.

"Hi, Kagome," said Nazuna, turning and giving her a friendly smile—with only a brief, slightly curious glance at Miroku and Inuyasha. "Hey, don't you work in the store now?"

Kagome motioned for Miroku to keep going as she paused beside the desk. Looking down, she could see what the older woman was buying—one of the new paperbacks from the city, its cover mercifully unwrinkled. Apparently mother had found them after all… She smiled for Nazuna, her talking-to-a-customer grin, while her mother rang the book through.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "I'm not working today, because something came up at the last minute."

"Ah." Nazuna nodded understandingly. "I wondered, when I came in… I thought you might have taken sick, or something."

"Oh, no, I'm fine," said Kagome, keeping up her smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Miroku turn to look at her questioningly as he placed his hand on the doorknob at the back of the shop. She nodded to him quickly. "But I still have something to take care of, upstairs. I'll see you later, Nazuna!"

"Bye, Kagome," said Nazuna. Mrs. Higurashi shook out a small plastic bag and placed the purchase in it before handing it to the other woman. Kagome remained at the desk, and once Nazuna was out of the store she leaned towards her mother.

"You have to go upstairs!" Kagome whispered, glancing towards the stranger nervously. "Th-there's been an accident… he's worse now!"

Mrs. Higurashi glanced at her in alarm. "Dear, I… what happened?"

Kagome shook her head, motioning urgently towards the stairs. "Just hurry! I'll mind the shop."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded, and slipped out from behind the desk. Kagome took her place beside the cash register, watching the man as he perused the stacks. She could hear the creak of the door to the staircase, sounding out twice… once while the door opened, once while it closed.

She sighed. It would be impossible to focus… she could only hope that the man would hurry up. Maybe then she could turn the sign back over… She sat down in the chair, dropping her head in her hands, and tried not to look desperately worried.

_Idiot_, she thought furiously. _Idiot, idiot… _She wasn't sure who exactly she was referring to.

**:00:00:**

Ooh… this was hard to write. Poor Inuyasha! But he'll be better soon (promise!)… Anyways, here's another overlength chapter (I've been writing _long_ lately… oh well.). It's really, really long.

There is also some exploration of the AU world... not a lot, but it shows how the political situation is. The characters will leave the house eventually, I swear! And they won't stay in Aneston forever, either... eh heh... don't want to give anything away here, but there are a lot of things that have been vaguely hinted at. Very vaguely. In fact, they may as well not even be there. Keh.

Oh, as for some new names: Nazuna is fairly obvious, she's the girl from manga volume 5 or anime episode 13... from the scene with the old oshou who turned out to be a spider youkai (yeah, that's where quite a bit of this chapter's content came from... including a certain rather famous line ). As for Tono and Waka: both are names from the ninth volume of the manga (uncertain as to the episode numbers... it's the part where Sango and Kohaku are first introduced, anyway. The whole issue with naraku possessing Kohaku and getting him to kill his family... yeah, that). Tono was what they called the castle's old lord, the one who Naraku made out to be controlling the spider youkai, and the one who ordered Sango killed (Sarushiro is the name of the castle... it means Monkey Castle... as in baboon, heh heh). As for Waka... this kind of gives away any surprise, but it's the name of the 'young lord.' Yes indeed... you can see why it's a bit of a giveaway? The lord in manga volumes 9-10, the one who... ah, I'd better stop talking now... 3 guesses who he is! ...No, really!Are there any questions?

Oh, and this chapter really only covers part of the reasoning behind the Higurashis' reactions... there is more to it, I swear! Just wait... (-Grin- to Cyan I'd for answering my queries... )

Also, sorry about the cliche-ness of Waka-san... ohh, he is indeed evil, and I'd been hoping to avoid some sort of 'EVIL EVIL EVIL through-and-through' syndrome... but I can't really help it (in this scene, at least). Bloody... evil... wanker... it is not due to lack of thought, though. Oh, no. I just need him to be EVIL EVIL EVIL in this scene.

Ahh... and thanks to everyone who reviewed. Hooray for feedback and constructive criticism!


	9. Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

**00::::00**

It was snowing again. Well and truly this time—through the shop's window, Kagome could see white flakes swirling, thick and fast, and she could hear the wind as it blew up against the glass panes. The shop was heated, but lingering memories of the cold outside stayed with Kagome as she stood behind the desk and waited for their single customer to leave. Memories of the cold… and snow, and ice, and trees, and blood…

She sank down in the chair, toying idly with the cash register as she waited. She knew full well that she shouldn't do things like that while customers were in the shop, but at the moment she couldn't care less. Why wouldn't he just _leave_ already? Inuyasha had been in really bad shape when she and Miroku had brought him back, and she was getting really worried…

Abruptly she cut herself off in her line of thought. _No_, she thought firmly. _It's not his fault… I shouldn't be impatient with a customer just for coming in. All I have to do is wait… Inuyasha won't _die_ while I'm stuck down here, he's half-youkai, remember? _

It was hard to convince herself. Her mind just wouldn't settle down… and no matter what she did, it kept coming back around to _him_. Inuyasha.

_I should be up there_, she thought fretfully, tweaking a knob on the register as she stared at the man still browsing the shelves. He didn't notice her looking—luckily—just kept sifting through rows of old books, searching. _I really should be helping Mom… I mean, isn't a human… err, half-human life more important than some old shop? And I'm just _sitting_ here…_

After about fifteen minutes of her mind going round in circles, the door at the back of the shop opened. She looked up quickly and stood as Miroku walked towards her.

It was hard to remain still, keep her voice low. Miroku looked slightly harried, as if something very stressful had just happened. "Miroku, what's happening?"

Miroku hesitated, his mind whirling furiously. It was obvious that she was asking about Inuyasha. Equally obvious was the fact that she was worried. _Should I… tell her?_ The answer returned within seconds. _No. I can't worry her further… if her mother won't let _me_ see Inuyasha, she certainly won't let Kagome… yes, best she stays down here…_ "Uh… I was sent down here by your mother," he said. "I suppose… perhaps to help with the store?"

She frowned. "Is everything all right?"

Miroku sighed. "Well, perhaps… I have yet to see. As I said, I was sent downstairs…"

Kagome sank back into her chair, looking disappointed and still rather upset. Miroku looked down at his hands. He noticed that he seemed to have a bit of a bruise developing on the palm of his right hand… maybe he'd banged it during the dash through the woods, earlier. He wouldn't be surprised.

Suddenly a flash of memory returned. The orb, glowing with its harsh light, resisting all of Inuyasha's efforts to lift it… Kagome, lifting it gently… pocketing it…

"Kagome, do you remember that jewel that you took, in the forest?"

She sat up slightly, face still creased in a frown. "The one Inuyasha was after? The…" she struggled to remember the name. "Shikon no Tama?"

"Yes," said Miroku, nodding. "Do you… know anything about it?"

She shook her head, hand going to her pocket almost unconsciously. "I can't say I've ever heard of it before… why? You made out that it was important, before. Do _you_ know what it is?"

Miroku smiled ruefully, reaching up and adjusting his ponytail. He knew that, had he been asked the same question a week earlier, he would not have even considered answering her. But things had changed since his father's laboratory was destroyed. He couldn't seem to… _care_ quite enough to keep it secret. "I've heard of it," he said. "It's supposed to be a very powerful magical artifact…"

Kagome choked back a laugh, helplessly. "Again with the magic," she said under her breath. Upon Miroku's questioning look, she waved for him to continue. _Youkai… youkai, hanyou, and now magic_…

Miroku glanced down at her guardedly. "Well," he said, choosing his words carefully, "it works both as the source of power and as an amplifier… it has a lot of spiritual energy contained within it." He paused. "Or perhaps it's an embodiment of the energy itself… I never really heard a solid opinion."

"Huh," was all Kagome could think to say. Miroku abruptly moved forwards, putting both hands on the desk as he leveled that calm violet gaze on her.

"Kagome," he said quietly, "I want you to promise me that you won't mention this jewel… to _anyone_. It could just be a foolish thought on my part, but if word of it were to get out… well, you saw those youkai in the forest. They were after the jewel too."

Kagome nodded, perplexed that he even had to ask. She attempted a laugh. "Well, I doubt that anyone would believe me anyway," she said lightly, looking back up at Miroku despite his unnervingly intense gaze. "I mean… magic jewels and youkai and…"

She trailed off, and for long moments the only noise in the shop was that of their single customer, still poking through the hardcover selection. Finally Kagome moved, reaching into her pocket and drawing out the object in question. It was still warm, though now that was only normal. Miroku watched it in her hands, held lightly between two slender fingers. A gust of wind blew into the window, making the glass rattle loudly.

"Why… why did Inuyasha want it so badly?" Kagome said, staring into the jewel as if mesmerized.

Miroku could only shrug.

"Er… ma'am?"

Kagome jumped, nearly dropping the jewel. She stuffed it quickly back into her pocket. Miroku twitched, turning slowly away from the desk to give the customer room.

The man held up a hardcover book, looking oddly at Kagome. "May I buy this book, ma'am?"

"Of… of course," she said dazedly, taking it from him and beginning the process of recording the purchase. Miroku stood frozen for a few seconds more, then turned away abruptly.

"I'm going to wash out my car," he remarked, starting out of the shop. Kagome nodded distractedly, turning to the cash register. She heard the bell jangling as the door opened and closed.

_Now that the customer's leaving, I can close the shop_! The thought struck Kagome suddenly, making her smile. _All I have to do is finish this transaction_…

"Kagome!"

The cheerful voice made her cringe, and she looked up to see Yuka enter the shop, grinning. "Well, you look happy," said the other girl teasingly. "Did something interesting happen and you didn't tell me?"

Kagome stifled a groan.

**:0:**

The rest of the day passed without much change. Miroku kept coming back in and asking for the locations of various items—the hose was frozen and wouldn't work, or he needed the industrial-strength soap that Mrs. Higurashi kept in a small closet beside the staircase. After another hour or so he reentered, looking rather grisly, and upon seeing the current customers (Yuka had left, but only after two more people walked in), he swallowed and fairly ran through the shop to the back stairs before Kagome could say a thing. He didn't come back down after that. At about three o'clock— after more full _hours_ of customers entering, one after the other, and preventing her from closing the store prematurely—Grandpa returned with Souta. Upon seeing them, Kagome jumped up immediately, filled with hope… but Grandpa simply told her to keep up the good work in minding the store, and swept up the stairs with Souta. Kagome hardly had the time to call to Souta—"tell me what's _happening_!" before he was gone. Then she slumped over the desk morosely for a few seconds, before remembering the customers—an old man she knew from a block or so away, and his grandson from out of town—and sitting back upright.

At four oclock, Souta came back downstairs and told Kagome that Mom wouldn't tell him anything, nor would she tell Miroku, and so the older boy was taking a bath. A long one. Kagome sighed in frustration and waited impatiently for the man and the child to leave.

After what seemed like an eternity, it was time to close the shop. With no feelings of regret whatsoever, she let out the customers—who hadn't even _bought_ anything, she thought grumpily—and then fairly ran upstairs to the second floor.

Mrs. Higurashi, probably hearing the racket she was making on the stairs, met her at the top. She held a finger to her lips.

"Please, be quiet," she said softly. "He's fallen asleep, and it'll only make more trouble if he wakes now."

"What was going on?" Kagome whispered back, upset and angry at herself for _being_ upset. "Souta said that you wouldn't let anyone in! And Miroku wouldn't tell me…"

"I didn't want him to be disturbed," said Mrs. Higurashi, putting hand on Kagome's shoulder and leading her away from the stairs. "I don't know what was happening out there, but the…" she flinched "the gunshot wound has become infected. He's healing… faster than I'd expect, but it's still troubling."

"So… what do we do?" whispered Kagome.

"All that we can, I suppose," said Mrs. Higurashi. She sounded tired and, for the first time that day, Kagome looked up at her mother and noticed how weary she seemed.

Kagome stopped in the doorway to her own room, and turned around. "Can… can I see him?" she asked in a small voice.

"Maybe after dinner, dear," said Mrs. Higurashi.

**:0: **

Dinner was a tense affair. Mrs. Higurashi, unwilling to ask anything around Souta, refrained from questioning Miroku or even Kagome on the events of the morning. Grandpa watched everyone with general confusion as the minutes passed in almost complete silence, save for the scraping of cutlery on the dishes. Night came early in the wintertime, and so the only light came from the ceiling fixture. It cast a harsh, unreal yellow light on everything in the kitchen… Kagome had never actually noticed this before, but now that an entire meal was passing in utter silence she kept noticing it.

Miroku had much less of a struggle to eat politely, this time, as he was not particularly hungry, and this meal did not end abruptly with the entrance of an irate half-youkai. In fact, there were no signs of life from the guest room. Kagome couldn't speak to Inuyasha, of course, but she did seize the opportunity to stand in the doorway of the guest room, peering through the darkness towards the dark shape of the bed. She couldn't even make out his form—the light from the doorway didn't quite reach far enough. Behind her, she could hear her mother telling Souta to go watch television, and a sudden sinking feeling made her close her eyes.

That meant Mrs. Higurashi had something important to say, and she didn't want Souta to hear. And at the moment, there was only one thing she might be referring to. Kagome reached slowly into her pocket to feel the Shikon no Tama still nestled there, as warm as ever. She couldn't say that she wasn't eager to find out what exactly was behind all of the strange occurrences of late, but she couldn't help feeling apprehensive on Miroku's behalf.

_Don't mind that_, she thought, shaking her head slightly. _Come on, you should be glad! We really ought to know what's been happening lately…I mean, is it too much to ask to just _know_ what we're stepping into?_

She peered resentfully through the darkness as if hoping Inuyasha could somehow sense her glare. Whatever that… that insane, annoying, rude, arrogant, beautiful hanyou _jerk_ had gotten himself into, did he really have to drag Kagome and her mother into it? Set aside for now the fact that he hadn't asked them to get involved…

Kagome sighed. She couldn't hold it against him, no matter how hard she wished she could. It would be easier if she could simply dislike him, resent him, maybe even hate him—then she could simply stay out of his business, wait till he was better, and cheerfully wave him goodbye as he left with Miroku. But now there was this nasty affair with curiosity had to spring up…

Despite herself, she found that her feet were moving, causing her to step forwards and into the room. The shift from light to dark was so abrupt that she was positive that she could _feel_ the light from the hallway on her back. As her eyes began to adjust, she could see the bed just below the window, and abruptly realized what she was doing.

_Oh no!_ her face heated up, even though she was as close to alone as she was going to get, and there was no logical reason for it. _What… what am I doing? I'll wake him up again, and then… and then…_

Her thoughts trailed off as her eyes adjusted further. Beneath the windowsill she could now make out the faint curve of a shoulder, the hollow of a collarbone, the outline of a chin… and gleaming in the faint yellow light of a snow-hazed streetlight, a fan of gleaming silver hair.

"Miroku, all that I'm asking is to know what's going on! It concerns me because you're currently in _my_ house, and it concerns my family because they live here too!"

Kagome jumped at the slightly muffled voice that drifted in through the still-open door. _Mom_… Turning quickly and never minding the way the floor creaked beneath her when she did that, she hurried out of the room, unable to help the small smile that crossed her face.

_They do say that curiosity killed the cat_… _but I'm no cat_.

"…sorry, Miss, but I'm afraid that I don't know as much as you seem to think I do," Miroku was saying. He broke off suddenly when Kagome stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, and both her mother and the dark-haired man looked up at her.

Miroku's violet eyes were tired and harried as he peered up at her in the artificial light in the kitchen. "Oh, Kagome," said Mrs. Higurashi, unclenching her hands on the table, "why don't you go join Souta and Grandpa in the living room?"

Kagome shook her head. "That's all right." She moved further into the room, turning slightly so that she had space in which to close the door. There was only one thing they could be talking about, and it concerned a certain silver-haired hanyou. _Though no one said that people couldn't meet the same fate as that poor kitty_…

There was a long silence. Mrs. Higurashi, oddly enough, looked somewhat embarrassed now. Miroku was staring down at the tabletop, his face perfectly blank. Kagome glanced slowly between the two of them, confused.

"I'd like to put this out in the open now and have it over with," said Miroku at last, looking up to meet Mrs. Higurashi's eyes. "It is not that I don't feel I owe you an explanation—it is just that, regarding Inuyasha, I know nothing more than you do. I once knew him, a long time ago, but last night was the first time I've seen him in years."

"I know that much," said Mrs. Higurashi, leaning forwards. "I just want to know as much as I can about this… situation. If you don't know what's behind all this then that's fine, but… at least tell me where you went earlier today!"

Kagome began to feel distinctly out-of-place yet again. She squashed down the feeling ruthlessly. It _was_ her own kitchen, after all...

"Inuyasha… found a way to get out of the house through an upstairs window," said Miroku, eliciting a slightly puzzled look from Mrs. Higurashi. "He went into a forest some ways away… Kagome and I went to look for him. We brought him back."

"Why did he leave?" said Mrs. Higurashi, still puzzled. "And… through the window? Which window?"

"The one in the guest room," said Miroku. "But… as for his reasons, I think… it may have something to do with the person who shot him."

Mrs. Higurashi couldn't keep a faint scowl from pulling at the edges of her mouth. "And I suppose that, again, you have no idea who did that?"

Miroku shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't… but he mentioned a woman named Kikyou."

Mrs. Higurashi frowned still more deeply. "Kikyou? And she's the one who shot him."

"Apparently so."

"Still don't know why though," murmured Kagome, feeling she ought to contribute something. Miroku shot her a glance full of what could have been gratitude before turning back to Mrs. Higurashi.

Mrs. Higurashi laced her fingers together and rested her intertwined hands on the smooth tabletop in front of her, leaning forwards slightly. "Very well. I will attempt to get the facts straight now… and if I'm missing something, Miroku, I would appreciate you filling me in." There was a slight note of warning in her tone, which Miroku didn't miss.

He nodded. He had made up his mind some time ago that he wouldn't withhold information… perhaps, personal information which didn't need to be divulged could be kept secret, but it was only fair to let Kagome and her mother know about certain other details. After all, he _was_ taking advantage of their hospitality.

Nonetheless… there were things that couldn't be said. Some he simply didn't know… for instance, anything concerning Inuyasha. And others… Mrs. Higurashi's reaction upon hearing that Inuyasha was a half-youkai seeking an artifact called the Shikon no Tama, a jewel which now rested in her daughter's pocket, would probably be to conclude that Miroku was a raving lunatic. And, of course, certain… personal details could be left out as well, the ones that had nothing to do with the problem at hand. They _would_ need dealing with, soon, but… well that could wait, right? After all, he'd been driving to get _away_ from it all… it seemed that he'd done a better job than he could have ever thought possible.

"So… Miroku, you were driving last night and you encountered Inuyasha on the road…"

"Nearly hit him," Miroku said, somewhat embarrassed. It wasn't necessary information, really, but she _had_ asked for details…

"And, determining that he was injured, took him into your… vehicle… and brought him into town." Mrs. Higurashi paused. "At some point before your meeting him, he was shot by a woman named Kikyou."

Miroku nodded.

_Kikyou's dead_. Kagome found her mouth beginning to form the words, but very suddenly a bolt of realization struck her. If she told her mother… well, for one thing, she still didn't know _how_ Kikyou had died… but there was one possible conclusion Mrs. Higurashi could form which would not be favourable towards Inuyasha… or Miroku, for that matter. If it came out that a murdered girl was involved in the shooting, it might also appear that Inuyasha had been the one to do the murdering… and if Mrs. Higurashi's mind happened to settle on that idea, she might just decide to take her chances with the authorities after all.

"So… after he woke up, he was unwilling to talk about the events leading up to his shooting, then suddenly… out of the blue… decided to run away. So you and Kagome decided to follow him." Mrs. Higurashi kept her hands folded in front of her, and upon finishing, she closed her mouth firmly

Miroku nodded again, meekly. "I think he may have seen something that brought up painful memories," he supplied. "We were watching television, as it happened…"

Mrs. Higurashi blinked. "

"Well, I suppose there's only one thing we _can_ do, really," said Miroku, "and that's to wait until Inuyasha feels like talking. I don't think we'll be able to piece things together just out of conjecture…"

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "That's true…"

Kagome grinned. "So, it's okay now?"

Mrs. Higurashi gave a rueful shrug. "Well, I'd say… we've come to an agreement." She smiled at Miroku. "My surname, by the way, is Higurashi. So that you don't have to call me Miss."

Miroku allowed the briefest hint of an embarrassed smile to pull at his mouth, then stood up slowly, looking levelly at Mrs. Higurashi despite the tiredness in his eyes. "Mrs. Higurashi, I wish I could assuage all of your suspicions at this moment," he said, "but I have no proofs. All I can give you is my assurance that I, at least, am not a criminal, and that I am certain Inuyasha is not either… and that neither of us mean you any harm."

Mrs. Higurashi blinked again, and Miroku waited, all but holding his breath as he watched her. Finally, a small smile crossed her face.

"It's… good to hear that," she said. _And call me crazy, but I…I can't disbelieve him_…

"When Inuyasha is well enough to talk, we can have this discussion again," Miroku told her. "I must admit to a fair bit of curiosity on my own part." He smiled ruefully, then inclined his head towards Mrs. Higurashi and started towards Kagome.

_And on mine_, thought Kagome. Abruptly she realized that Miroku was aiming for the door, and moved aside to give him room.

When he was out of the room, she sat down in his place and looked at her mother. "So?"

Mrs. Higurashi sighed, looking down at her hands. "I suppose we'll have our guests awhile longer…"

"Wouldn't we have anyway?" said Kagome, smiling.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed again and smiled too. "You all _know_ me too well," she said in a mock complaining voice, which vanished along with the smile as she started her next statement. "I'm just a trusting old fool…"

Kagome leaned forwards to put a hand on both of her mother's. "Mom, I believed him too. Does he… does _either_ of them seem like a criminal to you?"

"No," began Mrs. Higurashi, "though…" She paused, closing her eyes. Kagome watched her uncertainly. Finally, her mother opened her eyes again, looking inquiringly at Kagome.

"Kagome, do you remember your father?"

Kagome leaned back so that she was once again sitting in her own chair. "Of course, mum, I…"

She was interrupted by a yelp from down the hallway. "D-damn it!" said a now-familiar voice, slightly muffled by the walls and the faint noise of the television. "What the…" There followed a string of cursing.

Making a face—innocent or not, Inuyasha certainly had the foulest mouth she'd encountered in a long time—Mrs. Higurashi stood up and hurried out of the room. Kagome stood up too and followed more slowly, trying not to grin. This was more familiar—even though it really shouldn't be. If Inuyasha could swear like that, he couldn't be _too_ sick, right?

**00::::00**

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, the direct opposite of the televised weather forecaster's prediction of more rain. Grandpa, who tended to believe the forecaster even though his predictions were more often than not completely off the mark, refused to acknowledge the bright sun, insisting that the weather would change soon enough and that they'd better not go outside. Souta, who couldn't have cared less about what the sky was supposed to be doing, was begging to go to the playground on the next block in order to go skating with a friend. Mrs. Higurashi managed to convince Grandpa to take the small boy, and had them both out the door long before the opening hours of the shop.

This gave her time to deal with Inuyasha. Upon waking up the night before, he had not been entirely pleased with the fact that he was too weak to even sit up. Not to mention the fever that seemed to accompany his infection… After he had finally gone back to sleep, the night had been spent in relative peace and quiet. He had even slept through breakfast, though Miroku was awake fairly early and ate with the family. Mrs. Higurashi went downstairs with Souta and Grandpa, to see them off yet again and open the shop, just as Kagome went to deal with Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was not in the best of moods. For one thing, he wasn't at all pleased with the way things had been going for the last couple of days. Weakness, while he had experienced it before, was not something he enjoyed overmuch. And at this moment in time, he happened to be weaker than he could remember being in his entire life. A deep lethargy had settled into him, making the slightest movement a chore, and besides that, his entire body felt too_ warm_ all the time. His skin felt like it was being stretched over a broad surface.

More to the point, he felt as if he had been hung out to dry, and he didn't like it. The tightness, as well as the perpetual and very uncomfortable sensation of warmth, was most likely because of the fever—but just because he knew the reason for something didn't mean he had to put up with it, and if he had any say in the matter, he wasn't going to. Mrs. Higurashi had somehow found him a shirt, too, long-sleeved and made out of a dark blue cloth that seemed infinitely more uncomfortable than his old top, and it made him feel even warmer. It didn't improve his mood any.

"Damn it, what do you mean 'don't move?'" he snarled as Kagome let go of his arm and allowed him to slump into the couch in the living room.

"I mean, '_don't move,_'" said Kagome, beginning to get annoyed with him as she put a glass of water down beside him. "I have to go down to the shop, and _you_ are to stay right here, do you understand that?"

"Wench, am I supposed to just _sit_ here for the whole fucking _day_?" he growled as she began to leave the room. She ignored the question, but returned a minute later bearing a shallow metal bowl. Leaving it beside him, she began to leave the room again.

"What the hell is this for?" he said, after a long, puzzled glance at the bowl.

_Ohh, no, he _has_ to know what a bowl is_… thought Kagome incredulously as she turned around slowly. "It's a…"

"I know what it _is_," he said, looking up to meet her eyes. He seemed genuinely confused this time, but not mystified… what was it now? "But why are you giving it to me?"

"How should I know?" she snapped, still annoyed despite the sudden disappearance of all of his anger. "My mom told me to give it to you… maybe she thought you were going to puke again! _I_ don't know!"

"Me?" he began to look offended, despite his rather unassuming location—still slumped into the couch. "What the hell? I'm not some sort of _invalid_, who can't even hold their food…"

"Yeah, you keep saying that," said Kagome, turning away smoothly even though her mind was suddenly working away furiously—she hadn't told her mother about Inuyasha's carsickness. Maybe while she had been in the shop…

"Oi!" Inuyasha yelled after her. "Are you just going to _leave_ me here?"

"If you keep yelling like that, they'll be able to hear you in the shop," said Kagome, pitching her voice so that she knew he would hear it through the open doorway but not loud enough to be heard downstairs. "And then maybe we'll have to kick you out."

Silence. Had she finally shut him up? After a few more moments of nothing, she began to worry. Had he passed out again? Irrational as she knew it was, she couldn't keep her thoughts from going where they would…

"Keh."

She nearly laughed in relief. As she walked down the stairs, she realized that she could just picture him—he would be sitting there sulking, arms crossed, probably glaring at nothing with those pale amber eyes, his delicate features drawn in anger, with the faint flush left by the fever tinting his cheeks…

Abruptly she realized that _she_ was blushing. _Oh, NO!_ Whatever she had been thinking… she pinched herself, hard on the arm, and then winced. _Damn_, she thought furiously. _What am I thinking? I barely even _know_ him, and already he's invading my thoughts! I mean, it's not as if I really _like_ him or anything… he's rude, he's mean, he's _violent_ if what he did to those youkai is any indication_…

_Why… why was I blushing?_

**:0: **

Miroku stood in the doorway and looked at Inuyasha. Having decided that enough was enough, he was determined to see this through—he _would_ get answers out of the hanyou, whatever he did.

Inuyasha transferred his glower easily from the television to the dark-haired older boy. "What do you want, bouzu?"

"Now, Inuyasha," said Miroku, walking from the doorway to stand in front of the couch, "I have a few questions to ask you, and I believe I've waited long enough for this moment. Will you answer me?"

Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest. "Keh. Depends on what you're asking, _bouzu_."

"I told you not to call me that," said Miroku, beginning to wish that he'd chosen a better place—this might take a while, and he had nowhere to sit without risking the loss of the hanyou's attention… or presence. "Now, Inuyasha, probably the first matter of business is to tell me _what happened_."

Inuyasha stared up at him insolently. "Is that the question?"

"Yes," said Miroku. "Now answer it."

"And what if I don't want to?" said Inuyasha, leaning back in the couch with his arms sill crossed.

"Then I will make sure that you never leave this place until you change your mind," said Miroku.

"I'd like to see you try," sneered Inuyasha. He shifted his arms almost imperceptibly, so that his claws were starkly visible against the dark material of his new shirt. The gesture didn't quite work, though, since the moment he did so he winced and shifted his arms a little bit higher to avoid the bandages hidden beneath the fabric.

"At any rate, Inuyasha, I can and will find a way. If you simply answer me right now, though, we would both be spared the trouble."

"Fuck, you haven't changed an ounce," said Inuyasha, scowling.

Miroku made no reply, simply folded his arms across his chest in mimicry of Inuyasha's current position and waited.

Inuyasha sighed, eyes dropping. "All right, bouzu. I went into the woods, met Kikyou, and was shot by her. Enough?"

"What do you think?" said Miroku quietly, a dangerous glint in his eye.

Inuyasha growled faintly and in a sudden movement uncrossed his arms, digging the claws of his right hand into the arm of the couch. "Fuck! It'll never be _enough_, will it? Okay, I went to meet her!"

"What for?" said Miroku, calm and imperturbable as ever.

"The jewel," said Inuyasha, nodding towards where the floor—where, one story below, Kagome doubtless had the aforementioned jewel in one of her pockets. "Kikyou had it. She was planning to use it." He paused, a sour look on his face. "You know, Kagome shouldn't have been able to touch it."

"I know," said Miroku, shifting on his feet. As he'd expected, it was becoming uncomfortable to remain standing. But if he sat, his position might be diminished—not only that, but Inuyasha might seize the opportunity to make an escape. As that would likely end with an unconscious Inuyasha who was unable to answer anything, he didn't want to leave that possibility open. "That, however, is an issue to be addressed later. Right now, it is _you_ who is providing the enigma, and not Miss Kagome downstairs. For instance, what is your relation to this Kikyou woman? Judging by your reaction to her death, this cannot have been the first time you met her."

There was a long pause, as Miroku continued to wait. Finally Inuyasha spoke, reluctantly, his face averted. "I knew her," he said.

"How?"

That was the single question Inuyasha had been dreading. If there was any way to escape… "Do I have to answer this?" he said, unable to keep the whining tone out of his voice. He knew it would only make Miroku more determined to dredge an answer out of him, but he was cornered—unless he wanted to hurt his childhood friend and make a run for it.

"Yes, you do have to answer."

_Shit_. "I… ah… I met her about a year after you left," he said.

Another pause. "And?" Miroku prodded after a moment's silence.

"My mother brought her in," said Inuyasha, looking away again. His claws were kneading into the rough fabric of the couch arms' upholstery. "You remember… the problem with my… with my hanyou blood?"

"I remember," said Miroku, his face perfectly expressionless.

"Well, Kikyou was… was a miko," said Inuyasha, stumbling over the past tense of the sentence. It was hard… oh, kami, how it hurt to say it like that… "She was going to… my mother wanted her to fix it somehow."

"Oh?" Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Did she do it?" This was getting rather confusing… so Kikyou had once been trying to _help_ him? What had caused the turnaround? And why was Inuyasha having such difficulty in getting the words out? He was glad now that he'd waited until Kagome was gone. If he were anyone else… if he hadn't known Inuyasha years ago, then the hanyou would have probably made a run for it long ago.

"No…" said Inuyasha.

Another pause. "Well, then, what happened?" said Miroku. "Did she remain with you after that?"

"Why the hell do you want to know?" said Inuyasha, sitting upright and resisting his body as it tried to curl up instantly. He seemed content to simply yell into the older boy's face, however. "I've been answering your questions—unless you have something you want to accomplish, then just spit it out and stop bloody stringing me on!"

Miroku was unruffled. "I wish to help you," he said plainly. "I can't do that if I don't even know what's going on, can I?"

Inuyasha stared at him in disbelief. "You're _crazy_," he said, fangs flashing as he enunciated the last word. "You're fucking insane. I don't know what you've been doing since you moved away, but it's obviously been scrambling your brains!"

There was no warning from the other boy. Between one second and the next, Miroku's arm had shot out and pressed Inuyasha's shoulder into the wall behind him.

Inuyasha flinched, eyes squeezing shut as he nearly bit through his tongue in an attempt not to yell. The dark-haired boy's face was still as blank as ever, but now his eyes were flashing with that silent, dark emotion that Inuyasha couldn't make out.

"Don't," said Miroku softly, his voice flat and emotionless. In the brief, tense silence that followed, neither boy noticed the sound of footsteps sounding through the wall dividing the living room from the staircase.

Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly and let out a painful laugh. He reached down and pulled Miroku's hand away from his shoulder. The other boy put up no resistance, perhaps realizing his mistake.

"Fucking _hypocrite_," said Inuyasha, slumping down onto the couch and laughing still—a hoarse, choking laugh. "You've been off doing something naughty, haven't you? Why the hell are you digging through _my_ life when you've got your own dirty little secrets to sort through?"

"There isn't a comparison," said Miroku, suddenly angry. He knew he was only fueling Inuyasha's case, but he couldn't let this rest. "If you must know, my dear _father_ decided to experiment with that selfsame power which mikos like your dear Kikyou are said to use." He conveniently missed the paling of Inuyasha's face as he mentioned Kikyou's name; he merely continued his rant. "And thanks to his zeal, managed to do away with himself in a laboratory in the middle of the city! Not to mention him deciding to train _me_ to use the very force which will probably cause _my_ death too…"

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha sat up again, amber eyes flashing. "So you think you've got all the excuses in the world to start in on me? Well, you just try having the woman you thought you loved try to murder you with a gun in the middle of the night, _then_ maybe you can start saying something!"

There was a gasp from the doorway, and both of them froze immediately, turning towards the sound. Kagome put a hand to her mouth, taking a step backwards instinctively and nearly tripping over the large cardboard box on the ground behind her.

"I-I'm sorry. I… I was sent up for these books, and I… I heard you talking…"

"Fucking _bitch_! So you decided to come over and _listen _for awhile, did you?" Inuyasha had his arm pressed against his middle, glaring at her again. Yet again, however, the effect was diminished—perhaps in different circumstances, she would actually have been frightened, but now…

"No!" Kagome shook her head vehemently. "I only heard the last bit. It's just that…" She turned to look at Inuyasha. "Is it… is it true? You were in love with Kikyou?"

He turned his head, nose in the air. "Keh! And what would you do if I _was_, bitch?"

Kagome bit her lip. _And she shot him… oh, how awful!_ "Well, I'm just confused, that's all," she said. "I mean, why did she shoot you then?" _Was it unrequited, then? He loved her, but she…_

Inuyasha tried to stand but his body betrayed him, dumping him back down into the cushions. "D'you think I know? Fuck!" _Stupid! Stupid, idiot, fucking _idiot_! Why the hell did I even open my mouth in the first place? Might as well just go on and tell them everything, why don't you? Idiot!_ After a few moments, he managed to sit up again. He turned his glare on Kagome. "All right. Give me the jewel."

She frowned at him. "What?"

_Looking at me like she thinks I'm fucking insane… damn it!_ "You heard me. I'm leaving this place. But I won't go until I get that jewel."

Kagome's hand lowered to rest on her pocket unconsciously. A defiant sort of expression came over her face. "No," she said.

Inuyasha regarded her with disbelief. "No?" he repeated. "Why the hell not?"

"Because," she said simply. "How are you going to leave? You can't even stand."

Inuyasha snarled wordlessly, his flush deepening. _Does she think I'm some sort of weakling?_ He pushed back hard against the couch, trying to force himself up, but absolutely nothing happened. _Damn it!_

"I have to wonder about this Kikyou, though," Kagome remarked, not seeing his struggle. "I mean, she must have had some reason for… for doing what she did." She frowned, thinking. She had the vague feeling that the clues were there, she ought to be able to figure it out… maybe it had something to do with the jewel? She looked at Miroku questioningly, and he had just noticed her look and was about to speak when suddenly Inuyasha managed to get himself off the couch and upright.

He pointed a wavering finger at Kagome. "You," he rasped, "when I… when I go… you're giving me the jewel… you understand that?"

With that he began to collapse. Miroku caught him and seated him firmly back on the couch, where he had started. Inuyasha promptly slipped into unconsciousness.

Miroku looked dryly at Kagome. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think he did that on purpose."

Kagome sighed. _Idiot_. "Well, I have to get these books down to Mom. Call us if anything happens, okay?"

He nodded.

**00::::00**

Well… this chapter was probably the hardest yet. Just information, but… oh, dear. Please don't hate me if it's far substandard… Writer's block is the bane of my existence. Kicks giant block

Oh… and a few mistakes came to my attention. I've fixed them all, and tweaked the previous chapters just a little bit—not anything really significant, just a word or two here and there. And… I seem to recall a continuity error in chapter 7… which was pointed out (in a rather amusing way). It's fixed now, and Thanks to the person who pointed it out.

And, of course, this chapter is late. Writer's block, and then a sudden lapse of Internet access right before it could even be beta-ed in its finished version, all contributed to THAT.

And the parallels are getting stranger. My little brother got sick and spent the day acting grouchy at home…Silly boy. He even had soup.


	10. Wind

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters within this fic.

**00:00**

It was still dark in the forest. The sky above the brittle, ice-covered tree branches was indigo-dark, and in the spaces between the rapidly clearing clouds a smattering of stars were visible. Towards the east, the colour had lightened to a slightly paler hue, but still not quite enough to actually provide illumination. The moon had sunk so far to the west as to be nearly invisible as well, proving a near-truth to the old saying, _it's always darkest before the dawn_.

A trail of sunken, half-snowed-in footprints wound through the trees, zigzagging wildly through the otherwise perfect white surface that carpeted the ground. Followed backwards, they led to a smallish clearing in the middle of the winter forest. A clearing currently occupied by the frozen dead bodies of a few youkai… and two live ones who shuffled through the snow listlessly as they searched. They were built along much the same lines as the corpses, as well; complete with orb-like bulbous yellow eyes and cracked, rough-looking skin, as well as similarly inhuman proportions.

On the edge of the clearing, incongruous in a magenta-and-white parka, stood a woman.

Kagura slid her arms into her sleeves as she stood knee-deep in icy snow, somewhat disgruntled at being cold, wet, and barely able to conceal her shivering from the two minor youkai who had accompanied her into the woods. Her black hair slid into her face and she removed one hand from the warmth of her sleeves to push it away impatiently.

"Haven't you found anything?" she called into the clearing.

"Blood, Lady, and bodies," grunted one of the youkai, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust—both towards the mess confronting her in the clearing and towards the youkai, which was hardly a prime example of its own or any species. Low-level youkai tended to appear far less human than those of higher status, and these two were no exception.

"I mean _aside_ from the bloody corpses, fool! I already know _that_ much, but have you found anything _new_?"

"No, Lady," said the same youkai, going back to its search. She sighed.

_Damn that asshole_, she thought furiously. Many years now, she'd been under his thrall. _What the hell did he expect us to find out in the middle of nowhere anyway?_

She watched idly as one of the youkai rubbed a long, rough-skinned arm across the surface of the snow, its clawed hand dropping into an area where the white material had been pushed aside. _Nothing here but lots of turned-up snow and blood_, thought Kagura, wrinkling her nose again. _What _happened_ here?_

To pass the time, she thought back to when she'd last met the man, when she'd been sent on this infuriating, pointless errand. Perhaps if she thought about it for a little while, she'd be able to figure it out…

She'd been summoned to a different place this time, the basement of a small shop about a block away from Parliament. She'd known the moment she received the call, of course, that it was _that_ bastard, but she couldn't help being somewhat surprised. He'd all but stolen her free will years ago for a very specific purpose—and once that had been done, she hadn't expected to see him ever again. Of course, he hadn't returned what he'd stolen from her… but he didn't seem the type to do things like that anyway. She'd never expected him to.

This time, though, he was wearing something different—some sort of… dress shirt. He had even seemed out of breath when he'd entered the room. _Perhaps he was as eager as I to get the whole meeting over with_, thought Kagura, hiding another shiver. _Bastard_.

_"Kagura… I have another task for you." _

_"Yes, sir?" Hiding her annoyance… it was only annoyance, of course, she would _never_ be afraid of him, she responded promptly. _

_"I have another task for you. I trust that you have not forgotten our little… pact?" _

_Bowing her head. "Of course I have not, sir." _

_"Good. Now, listen carefully…"_

"This is taking too long," she snapped to the two youkai. The sun was beginning to rise; she could see the sky lightening above her, shafts of clear morning light slanting between the bare, ice-encrusted branches to gleam off the snow. "Tell me straight out: is there anything in this clearing… _aside_ from bloody _blood_ and bloody _bodies_?"

"No, Lady," the second youkai said, lifting its head from where it was examining the base of a nearby tree. It was of a slightly higher level than the first, though Kagura didn't have much of an opinion for any youkai less powerful than she—perhaps she _was_ only human, but thanks to her 'pact' with the ass, she could probably have slain either of them within seconds. "But we have found traces of something, which could be…"

"Good," she said curtly, cutting him off. "We're leaving, then."

_Back to that asshole_, she thought, narrowing her eyes as she gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering. She began the process of crafting their ride home, calling on the power her not-quite one-sided bond with Naraku had granted her—feeling as she did so the presence that the youkai had undoubtedly been referring to, but not caring in the slightest. It was the power she had gotten from _him_ that let her do this, that allowed her to sense the faint, lingering traces of something outside the normal… and the fact that it was thanks to _him_ made it difficult to bear. _Naraku…_

**00:00**

"Ha," crowed Inuyasha as he sat down at the table, to the first solid food he'd had in days. Kagome sighed and put her head on her hand, watching him idly as he stared down at the plate before him with obvious glee. Without hesitating for even a second, he shoved a forkful of pancake into his mouth, not even bothering to chew as he pointed his now-empty form at Kagome. "D'you see 'aat, 'itch? Nuffin 'a-end!"

"_Please_ don't talk with your mouth full," said Kagome, tracing a finger around the rim of her glass as she looked away. Everyone else had finished breakfast already and left, except of course for the hanyou, who had been fast asleep until several minutes ago. At the very least he seemed much better than he had been the previous day. "Didn't anyone ever teach you manners?"

Inuyasha's chewing slowed, and for one brief second the expression in his golden eyes became unreadable. Then he swallowed, pointed that fork at her again, and said, "you shut up, wench."

Miroku leaned around the open doorway and looked at Kagome. "So you're babysitting for today?"

Kagome sighed again. "I guess so."

Inuyasha scowled at her, slightly puzzled, then transferred his gaze to Miroku. "Babysitting for who?" he asked suspiciously.

Miroku laughed, holding up his hands reflexively. "Why, Souta, of course," he said. "Who else?"

Inuyasha gave him one last glare for good measure, then turned back to his pancakes. Kagome had been somewhat reluctant to give them to him immediately, as they had been sitting for almost half an hour before he woke up, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

"I thought you'd be in the shop," Miroku said to Kagome, leaning against the doorway as Inuyasha went back to eating. "Don't you usually help out there?"

Kagome shrugged. "Yeah… I'm going down soon. Don't worry about me." She sipped at her orange juice.

Inuyasha finished the first pancake, moved his fork towards the second, and paused. There was an interesting pattern of burn marks on the upturned side, like a web of slightly charred… err… pancake material laid on top of the normal side. Curious, he prodded it with a claw, flipping it over. The _other_ side was normal…

"What exactly do you do down there?" Miroku asked Kagome. "To help with the store, I mean."

Kagome shrugged. "Oh, I help with the register, I get books and things from storage if we're running out of something on the shelves… just general odd jobs."

"It seems like it would be an interesting place to work," said Miroku, nodding. "Do you get a lot of customers, up here in Aneston?"

Kagome laughed, recalling the previous day, when it seemed that they just wouldn't stop coming in. "Oh, it depends," she said lightly. _On Murphy's law_…

Inuyasha had turned the pancake over again and was looking at the burnt side, all hunger forgotten. He reached out and poked it—it even _felt_ different, through the stickiness of the syrup. Did all pancakes have two different sides like that, and he'd never known? He thought back, to the last time he could remember eating them. It was a _very_ long time… he thought he could remember his mother making them for him, if he thought back far enough. Before…

"So would you say that you enjoy working in the shop?" said Miroku, allowing himself a faint smile as Kagome smiled back at him.

"Of course," she said.

They were both interrupted by a snort from Inuyasha. "I see _you_ at least are no different… perverted _bouzu_."

Miroku froze, appalled. Had he… he had really been thinking… and after he'd decided not to do that any more!

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha and yelped. "Hey!" she said, standing up, "what are you _doing_?"

He looked up at her almost guiltily, beginning to regret making any noise. His hands were liberally coated with syrup, at least they were from the brief glance she got before he shoved them under the table. "Keh! I _was_ eating, wench," he said.

"Not by the looks of it, you weren't," she retorted, seizing his arm by the sleeve at his elbow and bringing it up from under the table. "What were you trying to do? Dissect the pancakes with your bare hands?"

He choked in a reply, and his face settled back into that pout she'd seen so many times. "Keh."

Kagome let go of his sleeve and pointed at the sink. "Wash your hands," she commanded.

He looked towards the wall, eyes closed and still pouting. "And just why would I do that, wench?"

She almost laughed at that. He was asking her _why?_

"Because you're getting syrup all over the place," said Miroku from the doorway, having recovered enough from his surprise to watch the proceedings with amusement. He paused. "Including yourself."

Inuyasha looked down at his crossed arms, and at his shirt, now covered in the sweet substance. "Fuck."

"Maybe you could wash your mouth out too while you're at it," Kagome muttered as he stood up and went to the sink. He glared at her over his shoulder as he scrubbed at his hands.

Miroku sighed, but kept the smile on his face. "I suppose I'm not the only one who hasn't changed, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned around quickly and flicked water at him, making him twitch. Almost as an afterthought, he turned again and flicked more water at Kagome.

"Hey!" she protested, facing him in her chair.

He snickered, pulled his hands out of the sink, and did it again.

"Stop doing that, Inuyasha," she said warningly.

He stared at her for several seconds, his face as perfectly unreadable as Miroku's (or perhaps the comparison didn't fit in this instance—in the doorway, Miroku was struggling to hold back laughter). Then, very slowly, he raised one clawed hand and _flicked_.

"All right," she said calmly, "that's it." Reaching out to where her mother kept the newspapers beside the table, she rolled one up and stood, brandishing it threateningly. Miroku laughed outright.

Inuyasha growled at him. "Oi, bouzu…"

Quickly Kagome's hand was descending towards him; just as quickly, he reached out and caught her wrist. "Please don't do that," he told her pleasantly, still holding onto her wrist. With his other hand he allowed the newspaper to unroll itself, and surreptitiously glanced over at it.

"_You_ need to learn when to stop when you're told to," said Kagome, reaching out with her other hand and tweaking one of his ears lightly. She discovered that it was indeed soft—slightly warm and covered with downy fur, too. She pulled her hand away with regret.

"Inuyasha? Is something wrong?" said Miroku. Kagome glanced at him, then over at the hanyou. He had frozen in place and was staring at the newspaper in his hand, amber eyes wide.

"Inuyasha?" she said softly, suddenly worried.

Abruptly he spun round, dropping her wrist as though it had stung him and throwing the newspaper onto the table as he did so. "Keh." He glowered momentarily at the settling mass of paper on the shiny tabletop, then whirled again and left the room, pushing past Miroku.

Kagome exchanged a startled glance with the older boy. "What was that about?" she asked.

Miroku shrugged. "My guess is as good as yours."

Kagome looked down at the newspaper. Some of the pages were beginning to come loose, and the pages were crumpled where Inuyasha had been holding it. The front page was face-up on the table, with large headlines declaiming some sort of business victory. There was a large black and white picture of the man involved, someone named Genken Tankyuusha, a tall and handsome man with quite a lot of flowing pale hair. "Something he saw in the paper, maybe…?"

"Perhaps," said Miroku, taking a step into the room. Suddenly his breath caught. "You don't think…"

"Something to do with Kikyou?" Kagome had lifted the paper and was scanning it for any mention of the girl. Miroku came over and looked at it over her shoulder. "No… if there is, it's somewhere inside." She paused briefly, thinking. "His hanyou powers don't include being able to see through things, do they?"

"Not that I know of." Suddenly Miroku gasped again, a faint intake of breath right beside her ear. "Kagome… let me see that."

She handed it to him silently, puzzled.

He scanned over the page again, and she frowned slightly when she saw his brows contracting. "Is something wrong?"

He looked up as if he'd been startled. "No. I was just… thinking."

"What did Inuyasha see in the newspaper?" she asked him again.

Without answering immediately, he laid the paper flat on the table again and smoothed out the front page. He pointed towards the image that took up most of the top half. "Do you know who that is?"

She nodded, still confused. "That's Genken. Some sort of important businessman. There's an article beside it, see?"

He shook his head impatiently. "No, not his name… look closely at him."

She squinted down at the picture. "Yeah," she said with disgust. "They only made the picture so big because he's good-looking. Talk about money-grubbing…" _Good-looking_, she thought with amusement. _Pretty is more like it. If he wore a dress he could pass for a woman! _

Miroku shook his head again. Suddenly he pointed to the image. "I know there's no colour, but… look at his hair."

She squinted at it. "Blond?"

He shook his head for third time.

She peered more closely. Now that she thought of it, it was too pale to be blonde… it looked almost white, especially where the light struck it.

Long white hair… feminine features…

She drew back from the picture with a gasp, nearly striking Miroku's chin with the back of her head. "That's not… _Inuyasha_, is it?"

Miroku laughed. "No! Of course not."

She turned to look at him. "Then what…"

Miroku readjusted his ponytail again. "I believe… I think that this is Inuyasha's elder brother. It certainly _looks_ like him…"

"His brother?" Kagome's eyes widened. "But that means he's a youkai! Are you trying to tell me that Genken Tankyuusha, _the_ Genken Tankyuusha, is a youkai?"

Miroku nodded. "One of the benefits to being a true youkai is that one can utilize concealment spells," he said. "I remember seeing Genken… his real name would be Sesshoumaru, then, if I'm right… in his true form. It wouldn't be particularly hard to hide… he looked nearly human to begin with. Silver hair, yellow eyes like Inuyasha's, claws… he had pointed ears, too, though they were more humanlike in appearance, and he had marks like tattoos…"

"Huh." Kagome looked back down at the picture, looking over the image. "So he… if Inuyasha has a brother, then we could go see him! Tell him his younger brother is hurt, and needs help!" She watched Miroku eagerly for signs of agreement.

He was looking at the paper too, and frowning. "I'm not… entirely sure," he said slowly. "Unless we're completely off the mark where Inuyasha is concerned, his reaction wouldn't indicate that he has a particularly good relationship with Sesshoumaru… Genken."

"Oh." Her face fell. "But why would that be? They're siblings—he ought to go anyway, and if they don't like each other, than they can make up!"

"Well," said Miroku, "from what I remember, Sesshoumaru seemed rather fond of Inuyasha. I'm not sure… perhaps something happened." _Something would have had to,_ he thought grimly, remembering. The first time he had met Inuyasha—neither of them could have been much older than four or five—he had been climbing over the high fence of the big manor-house some ways down the roadway because he thought he'd seen a pretty lady behind it. While other things from around that time were fuzzy, the meeting stood out. All the children in the small town had been warned away from that house—it was haunted, or the people who lived in it didn't tolerate others… the fence was held up as proof of that. A _spite fence_, they called it. Miroku didn't know what _spite _meant, but it didn't sound very nice. He had been on his way to another friend's house when he'd caught the glimpse, through a knothole in the thick wood… and then he'd decided to climb it.

Kagome sighed, snapping him back to the present. "That _is_ a pity," she said. "They do look rather alike…" Suddenly she paused. "Wait, did you say that Sesshoumaru was a true youkai?"

"Yes," said Miroku cautiously.

She frowned. "How can that be? If Inuyasha's just a hanyou… wouldn't Sesshoumaru be only half too, then?"

"I believe that they are only half-brothers," said Miroku. "I'm not certain… I was never given all the details."

"That's sad," said Kagome, looking down at the table without focusing on it. "What a rotten life… Only a half-youkai, only a half-brother… and now they don't even like each other, and then he was shot by the woman he loved…" She found that the more she thought about it, the more upset she felt. Oh, but that _was_ awful!

"It's all right," said Miroku uncomfortably, noting her distress. "We don't know the whole story yet, remember?"

She sighed. "I suppose…" Suddenly she frowned. "Where did he go, anyways?"

Miroku shrugged. "Back to the guest room? Playing with the television in the living room again?" He paused, frowning. "In… the woods…"

Kagome paled and ran to the door, dashing down the hallway to the guest room. "Not there," she gasped at Miroku after throwing the door open. He was following her more slowly. "Window's closed, though…"

Miroku nodded and opened the door to the living room. "Not here either."

Quickly they both headed towards the door to the narrow staircase. Kagome hurried down in front of Miroku, who began to look mildly amused before he was even halfway down.

"Kagome," he said softly, "I don't think we need to worry…"

She didn't hear him as she pushed through the door and entered the shop, running out into the front of the shop and nearly reaching the door within seconds.

"Kagome where are you going?" asked Mrs. Higurashi from behind the desk, startled.

"Out, mum, I think that…"

"Crazy wench," she heard another voice grumble, and spun round to face the desk, skidding to a stop. There was Inuyasha, leaning on the desk with a distinctly contemptuous expression on his face. "Someone's been sticking bees up her…"

"Inuyasha!" she said, gasping. She heard laughter from beside her, and turned to look at Miroku, who was approaching them slowly. He struggled to contain his mirth as he neared her. "You were… down here the whole time?"

Mrs. Higurashi nodded as Inuyasha endeavored to look bored. "He's been talking to me," she said. "Since no one's come into the shop yet, it gets a little boring."

Kagome sighed. "I'm sorry, mom… I should have been helping…"

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her. "Oh, that's perfectly fine, dear," she said. "After all, I had Inuyasha to keep me company, right?"

"Keh!" said Inuyasha, crossing his arms.

"Pardon me, Mrs. Higurashi, but… what were you talking about?" asked Miroku.

She laughed. "Oh, not much, really. I asked him what he thought of Aneston, and it sort of… went on from there." She glanced at Inuyasha. "Personally, I'm glad that you seem to be properly up and about this time… You had us really worried for awhile."

Kagome couldn't keep the incredulous expression off her face. Inuyasha had been… having a pleasant chat with her mother down in the shop?

"Why didn't you tell us you were going down here?" she said, annoyed. "You could have saved us a lot of worrying." Miroku was nodding behind her, though the amused look on his face was hardly helping her case.

Inuyasha growled at her, claws digging into the edge of the desk. Mrs. Higurashi tapped on his hand lightly and he removed it, a guilty look flitting briefly across his face before he continued to glare at Kagome. "Need I tell you everything I do, girl?"

Kagome blinked. Girl? His repertoire of names for her was getting milder—instead of _wench_, or _bitch_, now it was _girl_? "You do when you've been hurt like that," she retorted, noticing Miroku and her mother watching the argument without getting involved. Was it possible that Inuyasha was watching his language in front of Mrs. Higurashi? "What if you'd run away again? You remember what happened last time!"

He scowled. "D'you think I'm that stupid?" he asked, keeping his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm a… a… I heal quickly, girl! It stopped bleeding ages ago, and it doesn't even hurt any more!"

"Oh?" Mrs. Higurashi clapped her hands together. "That's good, then. Later on, when the shop closes, there are a few things I'd like to ask you, Inuyasha."

He glanced over at her and nodded uneasily. Kagome put her hands on her hips. So her mother merited politeness, but she didn't? After a moment she sighed, looking down at the floor. Rudeness seemed to be as much a part of him as the silver hair, or the claws—which, oddly enough, her mother _still_ hadn't commented on. Perhaps she assumed that they were false…

"So no one's come in yet?" she asked her mother, glancing towards the firmly closed door. Mrs. Higurashi shook her head.

"Not a soul."

Miroku stepped forwards. "Mrs. Higurashi, may I ask if I can help with the shop for awhile? I must admit to feeling slightly superfluous at the moment."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "Certainly. Though at the moment…" she paused, thinking, and then changed what she'd been about to say. "Ah! There's a box of new merchandise, in from the city—we got them a few days ago. But they seem to have been damaged somehow. A few are in selling condition, a few are salvageable, and a few… well, aren't."

Kagome gasped. "Oh! The… the paperbacks?" Upon Mrs. Higurashi's nod, she felt her face begin to warm. "I… uh… I forgot to tell you," she mumbled. "The window blew open, and the rain got on them—two days ago."

"Oh," said Mrs. Higurashi. "The window, eh? So that's what happened… We'll have to get that fixed up soon."

Miroku stepped forwards. "Mrs. Higurashi, if I can be of assistance in any way during this situation, please don't hesitate to ask."

"All right," said Mrs. Higurashi, amused as she looked at him. "Since I can't exactly fix them right now, why don't you get the books from the back and make sure they're not still wet? If you could flatten the covers it might be nice too. They may not be in condition for sale even then, but we may as well check."

Miroku nodded. "Where's the box?" he asked Mrs. Higurashi. She pointed towards the back of the shop.

"There's a door right beside the stairwell… you might have seen it, on the left side, right beside the bookcase. That's storage."

Miroku nodded and headed towards the back while Kagome continued to stare at the ground and Mrs. Higurashi busied herself with the register. After a moment Mrs. Higurashi looked up, however, and glanced at her daughter. "What's wrong, dear?"

Kagome sighed. "I ought to have told you about the window right away," she mumbled. "But I forgot… it was my responsibility, I said I'd help with the shop, and I… I completely forgot!"

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her. "Oh, Kagome, you don't need to worry about that. With everything that's been going on, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself for losing track of them briefly."

Suddenly both looked towards the back of the shop. Miroku was leaning around the side of one of the bookcases, trying to stifle his laughter. "These are the books?" he asked.

Kagome nodded. Miroku turned the book in his hand over to look at the cover, still laughing.

"I remember this," he said, half under his breath.

"What?" asked Inuyasha, also walking out from behind the bookcase. He was holding the box full of books in both hands, and seemed to be sulking again. Miroku put on his vague smile and glanced over at him.

"Oh, nothing…"

"Keh. Well, when you're done giggling, why don't you tell me where I can put this fuh—this box," said Inuyasha, wincing slightly as he shifted the object in question.

Miroku delicately placed the book in his hands on top of the box, raising an eyebrow as he watched Inuyasha's slight change of expression. "Doesn't even hurt, huh?"

Kagome smiled more at Inuyasha's near-slip of the tongue, until the meaning of Miroku's words hit her in full. "Inuyasha! If it hurts, why didn't you say something?"

He turned his face away from her. "Keh! Because it _doesn't _hurt, bi—girl."

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "And I just checked the bandages last night… oh, I hope it hasn't started bleeding again."

Kagome put her hands on her hips and looked hard at Inuyasha. "Well, has it?"

He thrust his jaw forwards, decided to fake not having heard—despite his hanyou sense of hearing, which had enabled him to catch every word. "Has what?"

She kept up her gaze, despite her somewhat undermined position… being halfway across the room from someone tended to diminish the force of a good glare. "You know what I'm talking about."

"No."

She sighed. "Let me see."

He was instantly on guard. "What?"

"I said, let me see the bandages. If there's no blood, I'll let you go."

"I said it's not, bit—girl. Why don't you just leave it there?"

"Because if you're lying to me, then it'll only keep getting worse!" she retorted.

Miroku raised his hand slightly. "If I may interject, Inuyasha, going along with Miss Kagome's wishes will not detract in any way from your general… ah… standing at the moment."

Inuyasha glared at him—up close, too. Miroku wasn't fazed. "Oh, so now _you_ want to see me topless too, is that it, bouzu?"

Miroku sighed. "Well, as I can see you wish to continue your argument, perhaps I'll take the books upstairs and try to repair them." With that he neatly plucked the box out of Inuyasha's hands, nearly dropped it from the weight, and turned to nod slightly to Kagome and her mother. Then he was turning again, very slowly, and making his way towards the stairs.

Inuyasha snorted. "Stupid bouzu." He moved to follow him.

"Stop right there," ordered Kagome. When he did, she walked quickly forwards. He realized her intent seconds before she reached for the hem of his shirt, and caught her hand quickly. Kagome looked up at him, annoyed, and twisted her arm in his grasp… Then, before he could react, she darted out her other hand and seized the black fabric, gripping it triumphantly. Inuyasha growled slightly, trying to manoeuvre his arms so that she couldn't lift it.

Kagome didn't notice as the bell of the shop jangled. She did, however, notice when her mother called her name.

"Kagome?"

She let go of Inuyasha's shirt immediately, turning to look at the front of the shop. Her face coloured immediately. Tsuyu, a friend of her mother's, was watching them both curiously, as was Mrs. Higurashi herself.

"I'm going upstairs," muttered Inuyasha, turning around. Kagome smiled weakly at Tsuyu.

**00:00**

The phone was ringing, a dull, tinny noise interspersed with heavy static. Kagura clasped it to her ear, trying to keep from fidgeting impatiently in her small, dingy apartment. She had begun the call the moment she got home, barely taking the time to flick on the light in her kitchen before lifting the receiver. The two youkai were long gone, dead before they were even halfway back to the city. Nobody would miss a couple of sewer monsters too poor to acquire concealment spells, and apparently His Bastardness Naraku didn't want word of that little clearing in the middle of nowhere to get out. He wouldn't kill _her_ though… she supposed he had too much confidence in his bond with her for that. He believed that he could make her do whatever he wished… what rankled was that it was true.

She couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that rose up inside her, though. Now that she was through with that task, perhaps now she could attain some measure of freedom—she knew full well, of course, that Naraku wouldn't simply let her go, but he might forget about her for a time, let his guard down… and then, maybe, she would get an opportunity to be rid of him once and for all. Take back what was hers, wrestle out of his grasp forever, and leave the city… to be as free as the element she had been given control of.

_Whatever I think of him, I must admit that he does have a sense of irony_, she thought wryly as she waited for an answer. _Giving me power over the wind… and then keeping me reined in constantly. Even when I _thought_ I was free, I suppose I never really was…_

Finally, a click, barely audible beneath the hissing static. "Hello," she said, a simple introduction in case it was not _him_ answering the phone.

There was a faint trace of annoyance in the familiar voice. "Yes?" No name was given… he knew it was her, though. There was no question of _that_.

"I carried out the request you gave me," she said dutifully, somewhat puzzled now. She could hear faint voices in the background, but not what she would have expected… whatever she'd expected. Screaming, perhaps? Sounds of violence, maybe… but not quiet, dull voices chatting in the droning monotone voices she had come to expect of most politicians.

"And?" said Naraku.

"There wasn't much there," she said. "Blood, some youkai corpses… fresh-looking, not that it means much. It's too cold for anything to decay."

"That's all?"

"Yes."

There was a long silence, broken only by the static and the faint sound of the voices in the background. Briefly one of the voices was raised from its monotone. _I guess politician-voice got tired of talking so quietly_, thought Kagura, holding the phone tighter.

"You realize what the punishment is for failure?" came the soft response over the phone.

This was just barely warning enough for Kagura to sit down quickly to avoid a painful collapse. A second passed… another…

Abruptly a wave of pain swept over her, originating from her chest, a hollow, intense ache that grew worse with each moment. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, could only remain doubled over on the grimy tiled floor as the horrible feeling washed through her entire body, leaving her numb, limp and gasping.

The blasted phone had fallen just close enough to her ear for her to hear Naraku's next words.

"As it happens, the situation is not completely irretrievable. Someone else happens to have come across the information that I sent _you_ to find… I will not tolerate another failure on your part, however, do you understand?"

She wondered dimly what his little politic-talking underlings thought of _that_ little speech, before the shuddering aftermath of Naraku's little torturing session hit her in full and left her in no condition to wonder about much at all. _Damn… bastard…_

**00:00**

o.O I'm EVIL. I just realized that… And the plot thickens once again (very, very sorry to those who are growing impatient… I have it all planned out—that is, until the next change of plan comes swinging in out of nowhere—but some information won't come out until the characters learn about it… which may take a little bit longer.)

Anyways, now I feel silly… I just found the name of the lord whom Naraku was impersonating (because I couldn't find it for chapter 8, I just used the title the castle retainers used: Waka)… but the name is actually Kagewaki Hitomi.

And… well, writer's block will probably return the moment I try to insert some new concept… but this chapter was fairly easy. Maybe because it's so much fun to portray Inuyasha's mischievous side…

As for Sesshoumaru… Tankyuusha means searcher, and Genken means war dog. Someone else has used the Genken name before (I believe it was for Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father, the Inu no Taishou) but… I _did_ find the name on my own. It wasn't until after I'd put it in until I realized that I'd seen it before (not Tankyuusha... to my knowledge, NO one has used that yet)… but, well, I don't mind. The meaning fits well enough. (By the way… Genken is the surname. I may not be going with all those various Japanese words that tend to sprinkle fics, aside for those that are best left alone (like youkai, hanyou, shikon, etc), but I will keep the names in their original format.


	11. Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Nope. Been pretty uncreative with these recently… meh. It's not important.

**00:00**

It was sunny out in the city, with the sort of overly warm-seeming, slightly muted light that occurs when sunlight is filtered through several layers of smog. The windows of skyscrapers gleamed with reflected light, casing patches of milky light across the nearly-bare sidewalks. The city didn't get much snow. Its citizens made up for that lack with a liberal coating of trash—overflowing garbage cans, old wrappers and cigarette butts littered the ground. If it hadn't been so cold, it probably would have smelled awful—as it was, the lingering smell of decay hung in the air, just enough to niggle, but not quite enough to actually be distracted by. Every street, even deserted ones, had the same type of air—stale, somehow; though it seemed fresher in the wintertime. Maybe it was the lack of humidity that characterized city summers.

At the moment, the inner city was relatively empty. The rush of cars through the streets had slowed to a trickle, as nearly everyone had gotten where they planned to be, and the only people out were those unemployed, those too old to work, or those too young.

Sango pedaled through patches of light and shadow, small candy wrappers skittering across the ground as she swept past. She swerved around a dislodged sewer grating without slowing down, feeling the smooth thrum of her tyres beneath her. She had always preferred her bicycle to a car—she could feel so much more attuned with it, she could sense the road beneath her and each move her small, light vehicle made, every shift of the wind, every…

Every rock on the street. She frowned in annoyance as her bicycle skidded over one such stone with an ominous crunching noise. Hopefully it hadn't burst a tyre… The wind caught her brightly-coloured parka and caused it to flap open behind her, but she couldn't make herself care. This was a _good_ day…

That was, of course, the reason she told her friends at school, who all thought she was insane for taking such an antiquated device everywhere with her. She just happened to like her bicycle. The _real_ reason was that this two-wheeled piece of metal was probably as close as she would ever get to riding Kirara while she wasn't on a mission.

She smiled in anticipation, rounding a corner and allowing the cycle to tilt exhilaratingly to one side as she did so. There were cars on this road—mostly the small private ones, driving slowly since it was no longer Transit Hour. The skyscrapers were slightly taller, and a bit less seedy-looking. The city could get quite dingy-looking in places; rotting signs, water-stained windows, rusted beams, sagging structures… And then there were the dark spaces in between the buildings, where the light of the sun never quite reached. Anything could happen in the darkness of the city. No one ever stood in the shadows if they knew what they were doing. It was sheer foolishness.

Such a simple thing… she had been at home, wondering what exactly she could do to fill up the rest of a rather dull-looking day, when her father called from the Taijiya Core in the inner city.

He'd asked if she wanted to go on another mission.

She'd said yes.

Looking up, she allowed her smile to widen into a grin. She could see the familiar building up ahead, a rough yellow-grey façade made up of thick, coarse stones. There were few windows. There was a reason for that, though occasionally the entirely artificial light could be a bit disconcerting, especially after long training sessions.

Her third mission with her father's Taijiya Corporation… She almost considered it more of a home than the house she shared with her father and younger brother. She enjoyed the work more than she enjoyed just about anything else, and it was generally agreed that she _was_ good at it. The same could be said of many others, of course, as she wasn't yet _the best_, but few of them actually enjoyed it the way she did. It wasn't _fun_, per se… she couldn't describe it like that. But it made her feel so _alive_…

Reaching the front of the building, she rode the bicycle up onto the curb and allowed it to slow down, sliding off it as it neared the fence separating Taijiya Core from the rest of the street. There was barbed wire atop the fence; she hardly gave it a second glance, flattening her ruffled parka as she approached the opening to the main building. There was a guard beside it, a man in a dark suit who could have been any simple security officer. He glanced at her as she passed and smiled in friendly recognition. Sango smiled back. She had come to know just about everyone who worked here, as she'd been coming to this selfsame building since she was barely high enough to approach the security officer's knee. This particular guard's name was Hideki, an old employee of her father's 'firm.'

She couldn't call it a business without feeling just a little bit wrong. It didn't fit any of the traditional ideas of businesses… at least, not _really_. On the surface, perhaps. Her father had many businesslike relationships with various manufacturing corporations (mainly the makers of specialized weaponry), which helped greatly. If the population of the city knew that Taijiya Core was actually the home and training base of a youkai exterminating agency, there might be trouble.

If anyone actually believed in it, of course. In Sango's experience, people generally had a bit of difficulty in that department. Maybe it was because the bloody things were so good at hiding…

The lobby of Taijiya Core was full of reddish sunlight, shining in through the row of tall windows just above the entrance. The floor had been recently polished, she noticed, the onyx tiles buffed to the point of reflecting her body as she walked across it. Her father would be in his office, no doubt… that was the location of one of the few telephones in the building, and certainly the only place where there would be no noise in the background. She smiled to the receptionist, as well, a dark-haired woman who was for the most part absorbed with some papers and who glanced up for no more than a couple of seconds.

Sango shed her parka as she walked to the back of the lobby and started up the staircase. Tying it round her waist, she started on her overshirt as she walked through a door at the top of the stairs and emerged into another stairwell, farther recessed than the first. It was dark at first, but as she began to walk upwards it quickly became apparent that there was a light somewhere up ahead. It fueled her hope. _They're expecting me…_

Down a flight of stairs and through a door was what the rest of the world saw of Taijiya Core. As she walked through another door at the very top of that stair and emerged into a warmly lit hallway tiled with more black onyx, she had entered the places that no one saw, save for those actually employed by the Core. She was now somewhere near the centre of the building, neatly avoiding the few windows that actually opened to the outside world. Perhaps if someone were to actually go over the building they would realize that there were many, many square metres not accounted for. But thus far, no one had done so.

Her father's office was at the end of the hallway. As she approached it she balled up her bicycle gloves and stuffed them into her pocket. The door was firmly shut but not locked, and she pushed it open easily.

Her father looked up as she entered, murmured something into his telephone, and then replaced it in its cradle as he smiled up at her. "Hello, Sango," he said easily. "Glad to see you made it here so quickly."

"I hurried," she said simply, walking towards the desk and draping her parka over the back of a chair before sitting down. "So, what's happening? You called for me?" She leaned forwards in her seat.

"Yes, Sango," said her father, pushing the telephone to the corner of the desk. "Do you remember the case I was telling you about?"

"Which one?" asked Sango, her smile quirking wryly. "Centipede youkai in the sewers? The mask that kept trying to eat people? The dried himono that turns into youkai if it touches warm water?"

He laughed. "No, no… the crime lord. He's been very elusive… but recently we got a name. And a clue."

"Oh?" Now _this_ was interesting. For years her father had been seeing disturbing connections between various bits of criminal activity in the city, from petty theft to mass murders. Of late he had begun to piece together the hints he had and, all in all, the picture they made was not a pretty one. Someone was pulling the strings of both humans and youkai, with malicious intent. Suddenly, a flash of memory… reports of destruction in the inner city on the morning's news… "Was it the laboratory that exploded?"

He shook his head. "No. One of my sources just came through for me… found a one-time follower and actually managed to get information out of it."

"It?" Sango looked at him inquiringly. "A youkai?"

He nodded. "A mid-level, in terms of power. Not much of a struggle, but it was at least capable of speech. It gave us the name of the one it'd been taking orders from, and a place where apparently he intends to strike next."

"Really?" Sango grinned. "That's great! What was the name?"

Her father cleared his throat. "Naraku, apparently. I looked it up immediately, of course, but there aren't any records of that name in our previous case files… it could even be masquerading as a human, though it's likely we won't know that until we catch it."

"So this Naraku is also a youkai, then?"

"Apparently so."

She leaned back in her chair, thoughtful. "And you're sure the source is trustworthy? And that the youkai he questioned wasn't lying?"

"Well, I won't say that neither of those are valid concerns," said her father, "but I place complete trust in all of my operatives. And if he felt the thing was lying, he probably wouldn't have reported the information to me, or reported it with a warning…"

Sango laughed again. "All right. So, what's the real reason for me being called up here, aside from giving me this information?"

Her father moved some papers aside on the desktop and placed his forearms flat against the surface. "Well, as I said, the second half of the information we received was related to a place that's going to be a future target. We're going to go there soon… tonight, in fact. It is a bit short notice, but the youkai wasn't being very specific."

She nodded. "Okay. So… get things ready, then? Or am I going on this one?"

"You're going on this one."

She couldn't help grinning. Yes, she'd done this many, many times before… but adventure was something that never got dull. "All right," she said. "I'll go get Kirara. What time do I have to be ready by?"

"Oh, say about five oclock," he said, just as the telephone began to ring. "Just go to the Main Core… the others will be there." He pulled the ringing piece of machinery towards himself again, waving to Sango.

"And... what sort of area are we talking about?" she asked, moving back in her chair.

He rested one hand lightly on top of the telephone, ready to pick it up. "A sort of warehouse," he said. "Near the edge of the city... southern industrial district, I believe. The others already know where it is."

She stood, gathering her coat, and was already at the door by the time he answered the telephone.

**00:00**

Kagome sighed. At least Tsuyu didn't seem to have minded catching her halfway through de-shirting Inuyasha… it was too much to hope that she hadn't _seen_, but at least she refrained from teasing. _I don't know if I could ever live that down…_

And now, yet _again_, she was left in the shop, this time with her mother for company, while silence reigned from the floor above. Everything was perfectly quiet, and it was almost unnerving. No shouting, no crashes, not even one raised voice…

She rearranged one of the shelf displays while her mother chatted with Tsuyu. She could hear the cash register's dull chime; perhaps Tsuyu was making her purchase. That was unusual; generally the other woman would stay in the shop for an hour, just browsing and making small talk.

_Maybe Inuyasha just wigged her out a bit_, thought Kagome, taking her time spreading the pages of a book evenly so that it would stay upright in its lone display. _He sure did it to _me_… though that could be just because he attacked me the second he woke up. Or maybe it was the blood__…_

The bell jangled as the door swung closed. Kagome sighed again, finished with the book, and tried not to fidget as she turned around.

_Agh! I was never this jumpy before Inuyasha turned up… what's wrong now?_ For lack of anything else to do—her mother was carefully taking down some figures behind the desk—she dug into her pocket and felt for the small, round shape that she _knew_ was there.

The Shikon no Tama was as warm as ever, apparently. She rolled it between her fingers idly, standing just behind one of the bookshelves, not quite in sight of the window.

_I wonder why Inuyasha wants it so much_… Her fingers tightened on the small orb as she remembered his hoarse voice from the night before—_when I… when I go… you're giving me the jewel… you understand that?_

_Well, let's see—angry, violent hanyou; small jewel-thing said to be all-powerful. Let's add up the facts, shall we?_ Kagome sighed. _He probably just wants to get stronger or something. Then he could go off and do… whatever it was that he was doing before he came here. _

_Idiot._

And he hadn't been in it alone. There was that Kikyou too; the ever-elusive Kikyou. _What on earth could have happened to them? If they were in love… why did she shoot him? Did she not love him back? _

She stared miserably down at the jewel, not even having noticed when she'd pulled it out of her pocket. _I'm thinking in circles now… I just wish I knew more about this Kikyou person…_

Abruptly she realized that the Shikon no Tama was glowing, a gentle, pale pinkish hue. _Ack!_ _When did it start doing _that_? Why didn't I notice?_

Frantically she rubbed at its surface, trying to get it to stop. The last time she'd seen it glowing, it had been right before it threw Inuyasha into a tree. But the light only intensified, throwing shadows across the books behind her and into her cupped palms. _Oh, no…_

She was thrust into darkness. Her vision cut with a suddenness that made her gasp, and she moved, trying to turn around, see where her familiar shop had gotten to.

_"Ah, girl, you'll have to start facing the facts sooner or later."_

She gaped into the darkness. _Wh-what? Why is that voice familiar?_ "No, I…"

_"You had to have seen it. You saw the look in his eyes, didn't you. Greedy, covetous… he wants it, dear. You have to realize that someday. He wants that jewel more than he wants you and that's a fact."_

_Of course! That dream_… _wait a minute… could that voice have been talking about…_

"Are you talking about Inuyasha?" she asked it aloud, wondering if the voice could hear her. She had the distinct feeling that it couldn't—the same sense she'd had in her dream, that she wasn't really _there_, was pervading this… vision, as well. And, as if to prove that…

_"I'm truly sorry, dearest, but… I'd been hoping I wouldn't have to show you this." A rustle of paper. "I knew it would hurt…"_

Very suddenly emotion hit her, so quickly and thoroughly that she gasped again. Betrayal_… how… how could…_ she felt tears filling her eyes, in spite of the fact that she didn't seem to have a body in this. Maybe she was crying, back in the real world… She dropped to her knees, sobbing silently.

_No… this can't be true! _

The thought wasn't hers.

She froze, and very suddenly the darkness began to lift again, sooner this time than in her dream. Instead of snow, and blood, and those amber eyes that she was beginning to anticipate with something akin to dread, it was a man… pale-skinned, _too_ pale almost, smiling at her kindly though his bloodred eyes were cold and distant, with lank black hair tumbling over his shoulders…

"Kagome!"

Someone was shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to find herself half-lying against the bookshelf, the jewel held loosely in one hand. It was no longer glowing. "Mom?"

Mrs. Higurashi bent over her, concerned. "All you all right, dear? I heard you fall…"

Kagome nodded. "I'm fine, mom… just… a bit dizzy I guess."

Her mother extended a hand and Kagome took it, standing up easily. She smoothed out her shirt, frowning as she tried to remember the details of what she'd just seen. Her mother watched her, still worried.

"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked, then paused, squinting at her. "Were you crying?"

Kagome lifted a hand to touch the still-damp trails on her cheek. _I guess I was_…

**:0: **

"Fuck!" Inuyasha cursed as his claw gouged a long scratch right down the center of the book he was holding.

"Now, Inuyasha, swearing is a bad habit." Miroku glanced wryly at him, removing a paperback from the makeshift press he had created by overloading one of the bookshelves in the living room. He glanced idly at its still-wrinkled cover and slipped it back into place, sliding it carefully.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this now?" growled Inuyasha, holding out the now-battered book and glaring at it as if it had offended him. "The point was to _fix_ the bloody things, bouzu, not rip them to shreds!"

"See if you can get it into one of the shelves," said Miroku, stepping back and looking at the neat row of paperback spines. The books had long since dried out over the two days of being left in their box, and apparently had been pressed somewhat flat over that time period. Perhaps Mrs. Higurashi had gotten to them already… _Busy-work_, he thought, sitting down on the couch. _I suppose it's better than nothing… unless I could help with that window…I don't know the first thing about carpentry, though._ He sighed, watching as Inuyasha got over his initial hesitation and moved towards the bookshelf.

_I suppose it only makes sense… father wanted me to follow in his footsteps, not go off fixing windows and books. If only that blasted _force_ could do more than just blow things to pieces and purify them…_

Inuyasha lost patience with trying to hold the space between the books open, shifting so that he was trying to press the paperback in with both hands. The space promptly closed, and the pages of the book splayed outwards.

"Shit!"

Miroku stood up quickly. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to allow the hanyou to help out. He moved forwards just as Inuyasha threw the twisted book onto the floor and snarled at it.

"Well, that's enough for now," he said lightly, walking past Inuyasha and lifting it gently. "We can take them back down to the shop once they start keeping their shape _outside _of the bookcase."

"That'll take fucking forever, bouzu," said Inuyasha. "What the hell are we supposed to do till then?"

Miroku watched him calmly. "Well, for starters, we can do a bit of catching up," he said.

He could see Inuyasha's internal barriers going up, a flicker in those amber eyes, lasting no more than the space between one second and the next.

And then, very suddenly, the ground went away. Miroku dropped his book, gasping, as a sensation of acute vertigo washed through his being. Inuyasha regarded him in confusion as the dark-haired boy touched a hand to his head, tentatively.

**:0: **

_"So what, you're training to be some sort of monk?" The small silver-haired boy wrinkled his nose in confusion, sitting crosslegged on a floor made of woven mats._

_"No, no!" The slightly older boy, dark hair cropped close to his head, waved his hands as if trying to push the suggestion away. "__I'm not going to be a monk. It's just sort of… training. You know all those old stories about mikos and that sort of thing? Well, it's a __bit like that… Dad says it is, anyway. I think so too."_

_"So you'll be able to use magic, then?"_

_The dark-haired boy shrugged his small shoulders, violet eyes pensive. "Maybe. I'll probably just learn how to do what Dad does—use those funny scraps of paper and things. And maybe I'd be able to feel your youki."_

_"That'd be _weird_."_

_Laughter. "I guess. It'd be really interesting, though…" He paused, looking down at the younger boy. "I _still _wouldn't be a monk, though."_

_The silver-haired boy snorted. "Yeah… you'd make a pretty dumb monk." He looked up, golden eyes gleaming. "_Bouzu_."_

**:0: **

Miroku looked up to see Inuyasha frozen above him, one hand outstretched as if about to tap him on the shoulder. A few seconds passed with neither of them moving; then Inuyasha quickly withdrew his hand, whirling to turn his back on Miroku. "Keh!"

Miroku stood slowly, having discovered that at some point he'd fallen to his knees. _Why on earth_...

"So what was that, Miroku?" asked Inuyasha, turning his head slightly to cast a disgusted look at his old friend. "Having funny spells now?"

"No," said Miroku, checking himself over to see whether there was any physical damage done. "I just remembered something."

A line appeared between Inuyasha's eyebrows. "Oh?"

Miroku frowned. "I think something might be…"

This was the point at which it seemed to Inuyasha that the dark-haired boy just stopped moving, his eyes widening to an almost comic degree. And then, seconds later, he found himself being hauled out of the room by one shirtsleeve.

"Oi!" he protested, wrenching at his arm. "What, so now you're insane, too?"

"Be quiet for once, Inuyasha," panted Miroku, dragging him through the door into the small staircase. Inuyasha, having resigned himself to being towed for the sake of curiosity, had to move quickly to avoid overbalancing in the narrow space. "I sensed something just now—and it felt like the Shikon no Tama." _Of course_..._ it's being used_..._ it triggered a flashback for those receptive to its influence, but_..._ why did I remember _that?

"What?" Inuyasha paused in his stepping and nearly fell forwards when Miroku didn't stop as well. "You…sensed it? It's being used?" _By Kagome? How can…_

"I would presume so," said Miroku, jumping over the last step and bursting out the door at the back of the shop. "Now to check that theory…"

Kagome was standing behind a bookshelf, looking slightly rumpled and clutching the jewel in one hand as her mother watched her nervously. She raised her head as they entered, and Inuyasha was startled and more than a little discomfited by the sight of the fading trails of tears left on her cheeks.

"Did you use it?" asked Miroku, the question emerging before he even fully noticed their bystander. Mrs. Higurashi stared at him, and he tried to smile briefly before turning back to Kagome. _This is no time for_… "Did you?"

"I… don't know," whispered Kagome. "I think… it sort of did it on its own."

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"On its own?" Inuyasha recovered from his discomfort upon realizing that Kagome was no longer actually crying. "Stu—dumb bi—girl, it's not like it has a mind of its own."

"But I… I saw…" she looked up at Inuyasha, and all of the awkwardness returned as he saw the look in her eyes. Haunted, despairing… he'd seen that look before. "Someone was talking about _you_."

"We-well, I'll bet lots of people do," he said, stammering slightly and hating himself for it. _What the hell is wrong with me _now?

"There's no time for that," said Miroku impatiently, stepping forwards. "We have to get it _out_ of the shop, _now_."

"Get _what_ out?" Mrs. Higurashi was frowning at him. "You three aren't making any sense!"

"Shit!" Inuyasha swore, his eyes widening suddenly as he realized the same thing that Miroku just had. "We have to go!" Casting an apologetic look towards Mrs. Higurashi, he strode forwards and grabbed Kagome's elbow. "Come on!"

The bell jangled as the door swung open again, and the strange man from two days ago walked in. He cast them all an odd glance before stalking into the shelves near the window. Mrs. Higurashi was distracted momentarily, her head turning, and by the time she turned back, Kagome was already out of the stacks and currently being towed after Inuyasha and Miroku in their beeline for the door.

"Sorry, Mom," said Kagome, catching some of their urgency, "I'll explain it later!" She waved awkwardly to her mother as she was pulled towards the door. _If I ever do find out what's going on_, she thought ruefully. _This is just getting ridiculous_…

She shivered the instant they were out the door. Of course, she hadn't had enough time to put on a coat, none of them had, but she didn't even have _boots_ this time and her indoor shoes were already full of rapidly-melting slush. Oddly, neither of the boys seemed at all perturbed by their complete lack of footwear, though they could have simply been hiding any feelings on the matter…

"All right," she said, pulling her arm out of Inuyasha's grip as the door jingled shut behind her. "_Now_ will you tell me what's happening?"

"Haven't you guessed it,_ bitch_?" spat Inuyasha, whirling on her. "Now that you've reactivated that stupid jewel, all the youkai within a mile-wide radius will be coming for it! Don't you know _anything_?"

"Well maybe if someone were to _tell _me these things, I wouldn't be so confused!" she yelled back, never mind that her mother and the single customer could probably hear her through the frosted-over glass of the door… "I mean, you still haven't told me a single thing about what happened—neither of you—and I just had a really freaky dream and I think it was _about_ you, and I _still_ don't know what's—"

"Look out!" yelled Inuyasha, and suddenly leaped several feet straight up into the air. Kagome heard a dull thud from directly above, and looked up to see Inuyasha sink his claws into a youkai as he drove it into the brick façade of her house, inches below her bedroom window. She squeaked involuntarily and moved away from the wall.

Miroku cursed quietly as he craned his neck, looking up _Where did that thing _come _from? The roof?_

Inuyasha grinned as he felt the thing's dying struggles. _This_ was more what he was used to—this was steadier ground. He ripped his claws free of the creature, planted his feet solidly against the brick wall, and wrapped a hand around its neck, pushing off hard. A crack rang through the air.

Kagome winced at the sound. _Oh, no… mom can probably hear that from inside the shop! And there's a _man_ in there…_And, much deeper-_it's dead, oh, kami, he just _killed_ it- _"We have to move!" she said, pulling her feet out of the sucking mess that was trying to snare them. She started on the rather difficult task of beginning to leave. "We can't stay near the shop!"

Miroku nodded quickly, then started to move after her as Inuyasha dropped to the ground beside him, towing one dead youkai by the arm. "I don't think you should leave that here," Miroku remarked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with it then?" said Inuyasha.

"Come _on_!" said Kagome, stopping and turning around. _What if more of them come… we could be attacked again at any moment! Oh, kami… I guess the time for disbelief is long over by now…_ "We have to get out of here!"

"Where will we go?" asked Miroku, hurrying forwards. Inuyasha, a sour look on his face, dragged the youkai corpse with him as he followed the others.

_Lucky the street's been empty so far, but luck can only last so long…_ "We have to go down one of the side roads," said Kagome, whirling again. "Hurry up!"

_And there's a dead monster, too… what do we do with it? Bury it in the park? _

_The woods… that's the only place. The edge of town's not too far away…_

_If we're attacked again_…

Suddenly Kagome stopped. A person was walking around the corner… "Get out of sight!" she hissed to Inuyasha. He performed another one of those flying leaps—_I guess now I know how he got so far into the forest without leaving any footsteps_—and landed on the roof of Tsuyu's house, draping the youkai across the snow-covered shingles before moving to the edge and peering over.

"Heads up, bouzu!" he called suddenly.

Miroku whirled just in time to dodge another youkai, a lumbering mononoke this time. Kagome yelped as the person approaching from the other end of the street suddenly sped up, rushing towards them with obviously inhuman speed.

"Three of them?" said Inuyasha, almost thoughtfully as he continued to watch from above. Miroku had picked up a branch and was swinging at the mononoke, broad stroked mixed with twirling hand movements that indicated he'd done this sort of thing before. Kagome was trying to get out of the path of the oncoming third youkai, but it was obvious that it would soon catch up with her. Miroku had barely enough time to spare her a glance or two while he tried to keep the mononoke away. It had long, spindling arms covered in scales—snake youkai, perhaps?—which made this task very difficult.

Inuyasha grinned, kicked the first youkai's corpse so that it wouldn't be visible from the road, and leaped down. Surreally, the small-town quiet remained undisturbed—the only sound was of Miroku panting as he fought, and the slishing noises made by the slush on the sidewalk being moved around.

Kagome stopped right before she ran headlong into the range of Miroku's stick, and turned again to find that her view of the pursuing youkai had been blocked by a figure clad in dark blue and topped by a mass of silver hair. She gasped, heart beating loudly to her ears in the improbable near-silence, and could do little more than watch as Inuyasha leaped forwards to engage the youkai.

She winced at the sound of his claws slicing through the monster, and when he moved to attack the youkai from the other side she was shocked to see that he was grinning.

It was the first time she'd seen him smile.

His fangs were showing.

Abruptly she realized that she was digging in her pocket again. _Hah, of course! The jewel!_ Her fingers slid onto the warm, smooth surface, and she wrapped her hand around it. _If it's supposed to be so powerful, maybe it can do something to help us now…_

She didn't bother to think about the fact that she hadn't the foggiest notion as to _how_ one went about using the thing, or that the last time she'd even _held_ the thing it had made her see visions. In her mind, she could see the attacking youkai being thrown backwards in the same way that Inuyasha had been when they'd first found the jewel.

She pulled it out. _All right, now it's just got to do something…_

"M-Miss Kagome! Don't!" Miroku swung his makeshift staff through the mess of spindling arms and into the side of the mononoke's head, knocking it to the ground, and hurried forwards. All of his senses were on high alert now, and the tingling feel of youki was growing stronger by the second—_what is she doing?_ Kagome turned slightly, still clutching the jewel, and he realized that he could feel it, too, beneath the increasing amount of youkai energy.

Inuyasha, having despatched the third youkai with as much expediency as the first, found himself facing Kagome, Miroku and the fallen mononoke… as well as the bird youkai that was descending from the sky directly towards the girl. Golden eyes widened.

"Kagome!"

**:00:00: **

Second edit. Bloody continuity...! My beta is currently in France (woohoo!) So... I'm on my own from now on. Urrk...

As for those books...Mrs. Higurashi did find them, but they'd already been sitting and mouldering in the box for awhile and so she could only save the ones that hadn't been really badly damaged. For the most part, since they hadn't been moved TOO much, the only damage was to the shape of the covers, and so flattening the dry books would help... yeah. they'd have to stay in that 'press' for awhile, no, Miroku had no idea what he was doing really, and yeah... that's what I do to fix my books (I'm a sad little whelp). And yes, it was just pointless busy-work for Inuyasha and Miroku. Otherwise they'd have both gone stir-crazy.

In case anyone is curious regarding Miroku's relative comfort in situations involving footwear (or the lack thereof), I noticed in the first issue of the manga in which he appears (tankoubon volume six, I believe) he doesn't have any shoes. In the next scene, of course, he acquires those little sandals that he wears for the rest of the series, and in the anime… but it's true that he was barefoot in his first appearance, and I just figured I'd go with that… also, my little spoiler-ish contribution (stop reading if you haven't watched the anime series finale) Kagome ends the series unshod as well. Fun, ne? (Though... the manga still hasn't ended. It's still going... and going... on and on, ad infinitum, only less boring.) I'm such an otaku...

And... as for Kagome's small dream-sequence, it is basically the dream in Chapter 1. It does give new information, though. So, if anyone wants to see the original version, just go back to chapter 1. There are differences!

The inch-thick layer of ice on top of the snow outside has become more like five inches, and it's now invisible, owing to having been covered up with more powder snow (probably another five or six inches, total). It's thick enough that when you walk and your feet go through the top layer of snow, you're not actually standing on ground, you're standing on ice. It's a very odd thing to realize while you're staggering around beneath two duffel bags and a laptop. ... Yeah, I do know a lot about snow, don't I? And... I didn't drop the laptop... but that is a thought, isn't it? Hmm...


	12. Time

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and most likely never will. Perhaps I should format my documents so that I don't have to type this each time… it'd make things easier, that's for sure, and in more ways than one! Mmn… perhaps next chapter. Too lazy right now.

**:00:00:**

Kagome looked up, yelping as she saw the bird youkai, but was unable to dodge in time. It slammed into her side-on, jarring her hand open and forcing her off-balance and sideways.

She didn't even have time to gasp as a pair of warm arms wrapped around her waist and tightened. Within the space of a second, all of the breath was pulled from her body in a long rush as the ground fell away and her world gave way to rushing wind and whipping strands of silver hair.

Miroku yelped as he noticed the descending bird youkai. He sidestepped it neatly, cracking his makeshift staff over its head and felling it instantly, and looked up again, searching.

_Where on earth…?_ His eyes widened at the sight of Inuyasha with a dazed Kagome clinging to his back, alighting on the edge of a nearby roof.

"Oi!" he yelled. "Are you leaving?"

Inuyasha grinned down at him, brushing some of Kagome's hair off his shoulder. "Only if you can't keep up, bouzu!" he called back, and promptly followed it up by leaping off the building and out of sight.

_Towards the forest_… _oh, perfect_, thought Miroku, dropping his stick and running forwards. He had only a moment's warning, the tingling feeling of youki on the rise, and dodged sideways just in time to avoid a slash of the bird youkai's talons. _I needn't bother to engage it… it'll probably follow them… it was probably only after the jewel…_

Which accounted for his confusion when, upon glancing behind himself, he saw the bird youkai winging its way in the opposite direction.

**:0:**

For several moments all that entered Kagome's awareness was the feeling of rough cloth against her cheek. Upon realizing that the hair currently being blown into her face was not, in fact, her own, she snapped back to herself and immediately yelped.

Grey, cloudy skies filled her vision, her view of them whirling and spinning as she was brought closer to the earth once more. She was airborne, with nothing beneath her but air and the rapidly approaching tops of trees. Instinctively she tightened her grip on the only thing solid at the moment—only to recoil in horror as she discovered that she was clutching Inuyasha's back.

He looked back at her, annoyed. "If you let go, you'll just fall," he said. "So I'd advise you not to do it."

"Well, I'm sorry!" she said, wrapping her arms more carefully around his shoulders and holding on gingerly. "I'm sure _you_ do this every day!" She could feel his muscles moving beneath the thin shirt—lucky it wasn't quite as cold as it had been the day before, or they would all have been frozen solid by now.

Shade filled her surroundings as Inuyasha dropped back beneath the tree cover and landed on a branch, looking around all the while. Kagome tried to find a way to loosen her hold on him without putting herself in danger of falling off—if she did, there was nothing to catch her but a rather slippery-looking branch, and then the icebound forest floor beneath that. She wondered briefly how Inuyasha could stand, perfectly balanced on a narrow branch like that.

_Well, of course! He's a half-youkai!_ she reminded herself. _Not like he's _human_ or something…_ It was difficult to think of him as inhuman, though… She pried her mind away from such thoughts as a strange sensation entered her mind—a tingling, almost. It felt almost like the presence she'd followed a day earlier, when she'd been searching for Inuyasha… the kehai.

Giving up, she draped both her arms over Inuyasha's shoulders, leaning against him fully, and trained all of her senses on the new feeling.

It… tingled.

Inuyasha fought to keep his mind off the girl now limp against his back. He could still smell the bird youkai, that disgusting low-level youkai with nothing better to do than lurk around small villages. It probably ate rats to survive. Stupid beast most likely had no idea that the girl it had been trying to kill earlier smelled like flowers and mysterious spices, and that a certain silver-haired hanyou was blushing furiously as he glared at the tree in front of him.

_Damn it, concentrate!_ he snarled inwardly. _I don't know if it's coming any closer… stupid! Why didn't I put her _down_? I can't _move_ with her stuck to me!_

Suddenly Kagome gasped. Inuyasha looked back at her irritably. "What is it, wench?"

Kagome was staring at her empty hands. Something inside of her was trying to curl up and vanish. "The… the jewel. The bird youkai took it…" She looked up into a pair of disbelieving amber eyes and cringed. "Sorry."

There was a long pause.

"You… _what_?" rasped Inuyasha at last. Within the space of one second and the next, those amber eyes were livid. "You _let _it take the jewel?"

Inuyasha snarled. _That's why I can hardly sense it anymore… it's making its escape to gain time to absorb the jewel's power! _"Fuck!"

He leaped off the branch, not even bothering to let Kagome down, and sped towards the fading scent of the bird youkai.

Miroku arrived in a clearing in the woods, panting, and was just in time to glimpse a barefoot, silver-haired figure vanishing into the sky with a second figure clinging to its back for dear life. "Oi!"

**:00:00:**

Waka smiled inwardly as he regarded the immense spider youkai standing before him. Being to all outward appearances a small, rather thin and generally weak-looking human, it might have been odd that he watched the huge demonic being with confidence… but the reddish tint to his eyes would say otherwise.

"You know where you are needed, yes?" he told the creature, watching with amusement and pleasure as it shifted uncomfortably on its eight immense legs.

"Y-yes, Naraku, but…"

"Then stop your whinging. Remember, kill all who arrive except for Mr. Taijiya… you know what he looks like, yes?"

"Yes," said the creature, forgetting itself for a moment and allowing a note of hatred to enter its voice. Waka did not bear it any mind… every youkai in the city had heard of Mr. Taijiya, and feared him with a passion that was as deadly with intent as it was futile. This was only to his advantage.

"Good. Do everything in your power to suppress him—I want him brought to me, injured if need be, but subdued."

The lumbering beast inclined its insectoid head and began the long process of turning around so that it could leave.

Waka allowed his grin to surface for one brief flicker of a second after the youkai had gone, no more. Then he was turning away, towards a door through which he knew he could find a telephone.

It was truly irritating, how the ways in which his plans chose to bear fruit sometimes hindered other things. For instance, suppressing the technology available in the world meant that those contraptions of years ago, the so-called 'cellular telephones,' were now completely extinct except as curios in museums. Nobody understood how they worked any longer, now that most scientists were either out of business or highly corrupt, and so they were not made.

And now all that was left were those heavy, unwieldy-looking machines with their clumsy receivers and cradles. Waka could feel his good mood evaporating bit by bit as he turned the dial for the numbers. It took an achingly long time.

At last, the ring tone… and, fairly quickly, the click as the person on the other end picked up.

"Kagura? I have another task for you. If you recall the location of the Taijiya Core in the Inner City…"

**:00:00:**

Inuyasha grinned as he bounded off another branch and leaped back into the air. Now, set aside his involuntary passenger, this was close to how his life had gone before… before everything had happened. For four days he'd been barely able to move, but now that he was just about completely healed…

He could see the shape of the bird youkai, already large and quite grotesque, beginning to shift in form. The stringy tail grew longer, thick slabs of onyx skin moved and rearranged themselves into a strange pseudo-musculature, the talons became longer and somehow rather jagged-looking. And it was still frightened. He could smell it on the wind, and see it in the creature's white and bulging eyes every time it turned to look at them.

"Wh-what's it doing?" whispered Kagome from just below his ear. She was staring, fixing terrified brown eyes on the thing he was pursuing. Set aside for now the fact that she was up in the air, supported by nothing more than one (admittedly, rather strong) inu-hanyou…

"Only using the jewel's power to boost its own," said Inuyasha, unable to sound dour while the ground was rushing by far beneath him and the wind blew through his hair. "But that won't last for long…"

"Oh…" Kagome couldn't help feeling a stab of concern. "But… but what can we do? We're not catching up by much…"

"That'll change," said Inuyasha, resolving to push off harder the next time he came to earth. "Soon."

Kagome craned her neck to look up at him, puzzled at the new tone in his voice. She had never quite heard it before. He sounded almost… happy…

A loud, keening shriek came to her ears, fading in the wind. Kagome winced and clung tighter to Inuyasha's shoulders. It was one of the more disturbing sounds she had heard in her life, that was for certain.

The ground was approaching once again. _All right, time this one… the next jump ought to catch it…_ Inuyasha leaped again, the resistance of the suddenly fast-moving air pressing his ears flat against his head.

The now thoroughly mutated bird youkai turned its head yet again, squawked loudly, and began to beat its tattered, growing and twisting wings faster through the air. Inuyasha grinned, moving an arm so as to pull his claws free. Before he could do so, of course, Kagome had move her leg out of the way, which she did with alacrity—and promptly found herself halfway off his back. She came away so slowly she could have been floating—if it weren't for the gradual sinking sensation, and the still fast-moving wind. The last few strands of silver hair brushed past her face as Inuyasha executed his strike, sweeping his claws across the bird youkai's stomach. This one didn't simply die, it _exploded_… and the jewel came free of its belly, drifting almost as slowly as she was. Inuyasha caught it in the same motion with which he'd slain the youkai.

All of this happened within a fraction of a second. The next thing Kagome realized, she was falling again… quite quickly.

Inuyasha twisted in midair at the sound of a cry from behind him. For the second time that day, a completely inexplicable jolt ran through his body, and the cry was ripped from him again—"Kagome!"

_Funny_, thought Kagome, closing her eyes to avoid the rather dizzying sight of him growing smaller above her. _I thought he'd never say my name_…

"No!"

Never mind that not a single one of Inuyasha's youkai-given powers included anything similar to self-directed flight. If he could turn in the air quickly enough, change his trajectory as fast as possible, move just a little bit faster, then he wouldn't have to watch her hit the trees far below.

She just wasn't fucking_ close_ enough…

_Aero-whatsis… take up as little space as possible… I can fall faster! _He turned his freefall into a dive, thankful for once that he was no longer wearing his old haori. _Catch up, catch up…_

Kagome's eyes were jolted open as something pulled hard on her hair, yanking her back upwards for one brief second. She was flipped over in the air and enfolded in a pair of warm arms… familiar arms…

"Inuyasha," she whispered.

Her voice was drowned out by the still-shrieking wind and the sudden noise of cracking branches and shattering ice as Inuyasha reached the top of the tree cover and fell through it. The thin twigs, made brittle by the cold, snapped easily and offering little resistance to the weight of a falling body. Her hearing was lost to the screaming of the air, her vision to where her face was pressed against Inuyasha, all she could feel was the warmth surrounding her body… all she could smell was the bitter scent of winter.

Three hard, jolting impacts followed, and then silence. Twigs, icicles and small pieces of natural debris rained down on them for a second or so.

For a moment all Kagome could do was lie against Inuyasha and breathe. _Quiet, slow… we aren't falling…_ She closed her eyes, felt someone else's breath against her cheek, and realized her position.

"Ah!" Hastily she scrambled off Inuyasha and tried to slow down the rapid beating of her heart. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't…"

Inuyasha wasn't moving.

_Sh… oh, no._ On her hands and knees, she moved closer to him again, beginning to shiver now that the heat of adrenaline was wearing off. Inuyasha seemed to be unconscious, eyes tightly shut, his breath misting in the air just above his face. _Well, at least there's no blood this time…_

She reached out and gently touched his shoulder, rocking him slightly. "Hey…"

No response. She tried again.

"Inuyasha? Can you hear me?" She thought one of his ears twitched, but it could have been simply her imagination.

_Okay…_Kagome leaned back, keeping a wary eye on Inuyasha in case he awoke, and carefully keeping the thought of that faint mist above his face vanishing as far out of her mind as possible. _It's time to regroup. Stuck in the middle of some forest a couple of miles away from home, with an unconscious hanyou and no shoes or coats… no one knows where we are…_ Her heart sank. _Oh, wonderful. We're doomed._

She could hear the wind rushing above the trees, making the branches creak as they swayed. The snow around her, undisturbed save for the area on which they had fallen, was littered with small pieces of broken twigs and tiny fragments of ice. If it snowed again while they were out here, she wasn't sure _what_ she might do; but, mercifully, the sky didn't seem to be terribly inclined towards precipitation.

She tried to keep from biting her lip, but it was difficult. Almost as hard as remaining calm. It was extraordinarily uncomfortable, sitting in the snow wearing her indoor clothes which most definitely were _not_ made for this sort of thing. And of course, with her only companion unconscious… _he could be dying… the gunshot might have opened up again, but—no, there's still no blood. Maybe he has a concussion_…

She shook her head. _No. He's fine. He heals fast, you've seen that much for yourself! He'll wake up soon…_

A faint glimmering caught her eye, and she glanced down to where Inuyasha was clutching something in his hand. _The jewel…_ Reaching over, she gently pried it from his grasp. He didn't react.

_So this is his big goal? _She turned it over in her fingers, thoughtfully. Every time she held it, it seemed that she found something else about it that was odd—she couldn't see the reflections of the trees in it. In fact, she couldn't even see the reflection of her hand, despite its shimmering surface. _I wonder what he wants it for… I mean, all I've seen it do so far is to either make people see visions… or… _she shuddered._ Turn youkai into big, creepy-looking… things. _She glanced down at Inuyasha. He looked oddly peaceful as he slept. _He doesn't seem like the type who's want to see visions, so…_

Perhaps he wasn't exactly _asleep_, per se… But the silver hair that fell across his face was catching the diluted bluish sunlight in a very interesting way, and his entire face was more relaxed than she'd ever seen it. His mouth was half-open.

_So…_

_He really should be waking up._

Tucking the jewel into her pocket, she ignored the snow that was beginning to soak through her socks and crawled closer to him again. There was still no blood, at the very least, for which she had to be grateful.

"Inuyasha?"

He didn't look quite so peaceful anymore. His eyebrows had drawn together again, and his jaw was clenched. Kagome hesitantly reached out to run a finger through his fringe, and began to worry in earnest when he failed to react.

"Inuyasha? Come on, wake up…" The snow was starting to soak into his hair, turning the burnished silver into a darker shade of grey. She might have expected his skin to look darker when contrasted with the whiteness surrounding them, but if anything he looked paler than she remembered. "Please, wake up! We have to get out of here!"

_Oh, no…_

She sat back on her heels, looking down at him again. _What can I do? We'll both freeze out here before long if he doesn't wake up… _She felt a sudden stab of anger. _Why didn't he just tell me he was going to let go? Then _I_ wouldn't have fallen, which means that _he_ wouldn't have fallen…idiot. Trying to act the hero, or something? Idiot!_

She shivered suddenly, the anger dissipating. It was the afternoon, and soon it would be dusk… the sun set early in the winter. If Inuyasha didn't wake up, they would be caught outside at night, in the snow—and the temperature would probably drop about ten degrees, if not more.

_And there's nothing to make a fire with, and nothing to… oh, darn it! _Again, unwillingly, her eyes were drawn back to the unconscious hanyou. _No! Focus… I need to figure out something to _do… Her breath was steaming in front of her face in small billowing clouds, another one appearing each time she exhaled. If she watched closely, she could see smaller ones hovering just above Inuyasha's face too. _But… what if he's seriously hurt again? He _did_ just recover from being shot… if he… if he…_

To her surprise, she found that her eyes were full of tears. _Ohh, no…_

"K-Kikyou?"

She looked up, startled. Inuyasha's eyes were open at last… but… something was wrong.

Again.

_Idiot._

Kagome rubbed a hand across her eyes and leaned forwards. "No… it's me, it's…"

"Why… why did you do it?" he whispered.

_Why did I…_ Kagome corrected herself. _Why did Kikyou… oh._ "Shoot you?"

He seemed to be trying to focus on her, squinting slightly. "You said… you said that you'd make me human," he said softly, almost accusingly.

Kagome blinked. _What?_

"Shikon no Tama… call of the blood… some sort of miko thing, I guess. I just… didn't expect a gun…"

_Miko? Like… a priestess? _It was very unnerving, Kagome decided, the way his eyes seemed to be fixed on her without actually seeing anything. _Wait… so there's _more_ magic involved? _

_Wait… if he's going to explain anything… I guess this is my chance._

"I was going to make you human?" said Kagome. _Is _that_ why he wants the jewel? _"Why?"

"No way to fit… otherwise… not human, not youkai. If… if I was human… nobody would chase me…"

_Chase him? There's someone… after him? _"Who would chase you?"

He closed his eyes, very slowly. "Everyone…"

Through a sudden pang of guilt, Kagome leaned forwards. "Hey! Don't go to sleep again! Come on, stay awake…"

"Fuuuuck…"

She leaned away again, startled, as his eyes shot open and focused immediately. On _her_. Kagome tried to smile innocently, but it didn't quite work—mostly because she didn't _feel_ the least bit innocent, though also partially because of the tears that she hadn't quite wiped away completely.

He stared at her for several moments, golden eyes inscrutable. She half-expected him to start yelling at her, or swearing—probably both. After all, she _had_ taken advantage of the situation…

"Were you crying?" he asked.

"Uhh…" Kagome lifted her arm and rubbed at her eyes again. "Just a little bit," she defended. Now _this_ was a reaction she hadn't expected…

Inuyasha sat up. He looked honestly confused. Kagome might have found amusement in the expression if she hadn't still been rather worried. "Why?"

"Well—I was worried!" she said quickly. "I mean, we fell really far, and you were knocked out!"

Inuyasha watched her for several seconds, his face slowly reddening. Finally he looked away. "Keh."

_I guess he's back to normal, then_, thought Kagome with a sigh. _Time to get back to business… _"So, do you have any idea where you took us?"

His head whipped around to face her again. "_You're_ the one who lives around here, wench," he said. "Shouldn't _you_ know?"

_I guess that's a no_… "I know _Aneston_, and the towns around it," she told him. "I don't know the forests. And I know that you know my name, you've said it twice already. Stop calling me wench!"

"I'll call you whatever I damn well please," he snarled. "So you're lost? Keh. Bloody humans… useless for everything…"

"You're lost too, O Heroic Hanyou! Why don't _you_ try to get us back to Aneston, then?"

Inuyasha let out a wordless growl and stood up quickly, swaying slightly. He turned away from her and motioned towards his back.

"Huh?" That certainly wasn't a gesture Kagome saw every day.

"Well? Get on already, wench!" He turned to glare at her impatiently, and she stood quickly as well. By now she was thoroughly soaked, and getting colder by the second. Of course, he was wet too, having been lying in the snow for quite some time, but he didn't seem much affected by it. He was cold, though. Kagome cringed at the feel of his sodden shirt as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Within seconds, they were both up in the air once more, with the ever-present wind feeling all the more chilling. Kagome watched the trees flashing past far below them with interest. _So this is what everything looks like from above…_

A thought occurred to her. "Hey, Inuyasha…"

"What?" he grunted.

"Why did the youkai just start coming after the jewel? I mean, we've had it for a couple of days, and nothing happened until now."

"Idiot," he said. "When you used it, it sent out a sort of wave effect to all the youkai in the area. I felt it from upstairs—hell, I think even _Miroku_ felt it, though that's probably just through all of his training."

Kagome frowned. "Training?"

Inuyasha remained silent. She pressed further. "Inuyasha? What sort of training?"

"Nothing that need concern _you_," he said at last, and refused to speak further.

**:00:00:**

Urrk… fluff, fluff, or… well, fluff-ish attempts. I need my beta back… :cries:

Sorry about that last chapter thing. I was… in a disturbed state of mind. It will be the new chapter 13. Don't worry, though, I'll post 13 and 14 at the same time to avoid irritation… on the part of anyone who hasn't given up on his mess of a story already…

And... gah! No, Cyan I'd, you're not confused... I forgot to edit that out. Another coat-esque gaffe on my part, I suppose. Thanks for pointing it out.

Another, smaller edit: uuurgh... so many little errors...


	13. Lost

**Chapter 13**

Miroku sighed. It had been a rather trying afternoon—straining all of his senses for any trace of Inuyasha and Kagome. He had been about halfway to wishing he would encounter _anything_, even the bird youkai, until he came across a few grains of dust imbued with rapidly dimming youki, and decided that perhaps it wasn't as helpful as he'd previously been assuming. Well, at the very least, if it was dead, chances were that Inuyasha and Kagome were not. Hopefully.

Chances were also that they'd retrieved the jewel… and, continuing along the same line of speculation, returned to Aneston. It only made sense.

But then, why did he feel so nervous?

_If I return, and Inuyasha is not there, I will have to find some way to repay him once I do find him again. And if_ Kagome's _not there…_

He paused and considered this briefly, though his feet were very, very cold, and the shirt—albeit long-sleeved and quite warm while inside—did not do an adequate job of keeping out the cold.

_Mrs. Higurashi will be furious…_

_Well, she would likely be furious anyway. Considering that we just effectively kidnapped her daughter after… whatever Miss Kagome did the jewel,_ _we would hardly be reinforcing her opinion of us… And good luck to us if we try to explain. At the very least, she'd want to know why we entrusted her daughter with such a powerful artifact._

And then, because it only made sense, he started walking again, almost unconsciously beginning to turn back in the direction of Aneston.

_If I don't know where they are or where they're headed…I may as well head back and wait for them. Or perhaps just find my car and try to avoid angry mothers until I can leave with Inuyasha…_

_That's the easy way out. I can't run away now… I need to at least clear up certain matters with Mrs. Higurashi. Or fail in the attempt._

He sighed again.

_And Miss Kagome really is very pretty…_

**:00:00:**

Kagome was not quite sure, but she had the distinct feeling that something was not right. The wind was blowing the wrong way, or the world had just performed some sort of polar switch on her, or perhaps she was still rather mixed up from that fall… but the fact remained that it was not at all a pleasant sensation. Her mind kept trying to inform her that _something_ was wrong, but it also kept failing to tell her _what_.

_Come on, we're going back home… I think… and Inuyasha's not about to pull something on me._ She closed her eyes slightly, feeling the chill of the wind against her back as Inuyasha leaped through the air again. It was much harder to think badly of someone when they were protecting one from a horrible biting chill that would otherwise have probably resulted in hypothermia… Inuyasha was so very warm, and even though his shirt could hardly have functioned well as a coat, it still kept most of the cold away from her. If she hadn't still been soaking wet, she might even have been comfortable.

But that didn't help the growing uneasiness…

"Inuyasha?"

"Yes, bitch?"

She ignored the insult. "I think something's wrong."

"Keh. Just shut up already. I can't _think_ with you back there…"

She raised an eyebrow at that, but kept quiet. Inuyasha _did_ seem to be wavering slightly in the air… though, as she was still far from familiar with the sensation of flying, it could have been her imagination. She glanced down at the ground rushing past, and _really_ felt as though there were something she ought to be saying… if only she could think of it.

To take her mind off it, she tried to remember the events back in the clearing. Perhaps, if she thought about it for awhile, she would come to some conclusions about Inuyasha, and possibly even Miroku… since neither of them seemed inclined to talk on their own and clear up this mystery.

_You said… you said that you'd make me human_…

_Some sort of miko thing, I guess_…

_Kikyou?_

So… Kikyou, dead Kikyou, the woman of indeterminate origin, was a miko. And she had been on the verge of turning Inuyasha into a human, before she… well, shot him. _And_ they had been lovers…

And of course, there was more magic involved. She wasn't sure whether to be disturbed or happy at the fact that she was becoming used to it now. Perhaps the jewel's now-constant, warm presence had something to do with it.

Speaking of which…

"Inuyasha?"

"I thought I told you to shut up!"

"What exactly is the jewel? Like, what's it made out of, what does it do?"

"Hell if I know," he growled.

"Well, you have to know _something_ about it," she coaxed. "Where did it come from?"

He was silent for a long time. She couldn't see his face, though there was almost enough hair blowing around to make up for that. And she could see his ears… they looked cold.

"I don't… I don't know," he said at last. "Probably the crystallized power of some youkai that got too strong for its own body."

"That happens?" Getting caught up on all of the strangeness that resulted from magic would be difficult, she decided.

Inuyasha shrugged, with some difficulty due to the presence of a seventeen-year-old girl clinging to his back. "Hell if I know."

She sighed.

His ears really did look cold. They were being pushed backwards by the air resistance, pressed close to his head as if trying to escape from the wind. The masses of hair, despite the sheer volume, didn't seem to help. And at the same time, she couldn't help remembering how soft they'd felt, back in the kitchen.

Kagome found herself reaching up, very slowly, through whipping strands of silver. It was even colder than she'd thought it would be, with her hands away from the combined warmth of their bodies. Inuyasha didn't seem to notice anything until her hand actually brushed one of the soft appendages.

The reaction was immediate. Inuyasha yelped, squirming slightly, and nearly dropped her. "Wh-what…" Regaining his grip, he turned his head just enough to glare at her. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Aren't they cold?"

"Idiot! Of course they're—keh," he finished weakly. "Just—stop it! Not while I'm up here, anyway."

She sighed into his shoulder. "I just didn't want them to freeze or something."

He snorted. "Stupid bitch. Of course they won't freeze."

Her only response was to sigh again and bury her face in the space between his shoulder and neck. Inuyasha kept his face forward, trying to force down the deep flush that rose immediately. After the warm touch of her fingers, his ears felt even colder than before, but damned if he was going to mention it! Besides, her head felt… nice where it was, providing protection against those wind-chilled strands of his own hair that tried to whip against his skin.

He found very suddenly that he was veering off-course. _What the hell…?_ He sought again for the scent trail of people that he had been following before, and found it easily. _That shouldn't be happening…_ Experimentally, he tried to focus on keeping his direction, only to find that everything was ever so slightly hazy. The treetops were blurred, too…

_Ohh, shit…_ Blinking in an unsuccessful attempt to clear his vision, he tried to speed up, to reach their destination faster. _It must have been that_ _blasted_ _fall… why the hell did I let myself do that, anyway?_

_Idiot… I shouldn't have dropped her in the first place…_

He was off-course again. Biting back an expletive—he could at least keep this weakness a secret from the girl whose breath was currently heating the side of his neck—he again changed direction ever so slightly. _Yeah… as if I haven't been humiliated enough in front of her…_

_…How could I have dropped her?_

The dizziness was receding at last, and he drew a long, relieved breath.

And now he could see the town—an area where the trees thinned out and were replaced by blockier, less spindling shapes. _Finally!_ Within mere seconds of sighting it—at the very least he still had speed—he made the descent back through the tree cover and didn't leap back up.

Kagome, who had been keeping her eyes closed, was somewhat startled as Inuyasha relaxed his grip on her legs, allowing her to slide down. For a brief moment she was disoriented, but it passed quickly enough, and then she found herself standing firmly on very solid snow-covered ground, somewhere near the outskirts of town, presumably. She couldn't see any buildings, but through the trees a short distance away there was a road with a large sign posted on the right-hand side. Inuyasha was striding away from her.

"H-hey!" She ran forwards and reached for his arm. "Where are you going?"

"Leaving," he muttered.

"Oh, come on!" she said, gripping his sleeve quite firmly. "You're just going to drop me off and then leave?"

"That's exactly what I plan to do," Inuyasha spat, turning his head just enough to glare at her. "And maybe if the… if…" He trailed off as his continued walking brought him into full view of the sign beside the road.

**Now entering Glennesville.**

Kagome saw it at roughly the same moment he did. She let out a faintly disbelieving hiss. "You took us to the wrong town?"

"Keh," he muttered, ignoring the sinking sensation deep within his chest. He turned away from the sign and walked towards Kagome.

She blinked as he turned to present his back to her. _Is he… he's going to try again?_ "I… I thought you were leaving?"

"Yeah, well, apparently not," he mumbled. Very abruptly, the dizziness was back, with even greater force this time. He was hard-pressed to keep from swaying as he waited for Kagome. He no longer even knew just why he was doing this—he _did_ want to leave, didn't he? All that he knew now was that it wouldn't feel right to leave her behind.

Very gently, a hand touched his shoulder. He whipped his head around to look, trying not to reel as the movement unbalanced him. Kagome withdrew her hand but did not move away.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Of course, bitch," he growled.

Kagome sighed, watching his eyes as if they could give away everything that he was thinking. Inuyasha watched her with growing uneasiness. "You aren't going to tell me?"

He didn't answer her. _What's she getting at now? Is she planning something?_ Inuyasha could only stand and stare at her in perplexity as his confusion grew.

Kagome twined her hands together behind her back, ignoring the heaviness of her still-damp shirt, watching him almost appraisingly. "Well, from the looks of it, I'd say that you shouldn't really be jumping off anywhere right now, let alone with me on your back. We can go into the town, and find some way of getting back… maybe someone passing through town, or with a car they wouldn't mind lending…" She snapped her fingers. "Or a telephone! Miroku has a car, too, doesn't he?"

"Stupid bouzu's probably in enough trouble without having to come get us," Inuyasha grumbled, turning his head to the side. Perhaps it was just another side effect of that knock to the head, but his thoughts were leading him in unpleasant directions—not least of which, what Mrs. Higurashi would do once she found out that Inuyasha had taken Kagome with him on this little escapade. _Why the hell did I bring her anyway? I_ knew _it'd be dangerous… hell, it was a fight! Why didn't I leave her behind like I was planning to?_

"Hmm…" Kagome tapped her chin as she thought. "Well… we still need to find a way home. Aneston's just a few miles west of here—I'm sure there'll be someone who can help."

**:00:00:**

Kagome sighed heavily and leaned against the leeward side of a house, providing some shelter against the cold. The bright, somewhat warming sun was beginning to set… and with the first traces of orange light came wind. Glennesville, it seemed, was both smaller and less friendly than she had expected—and no one seemed to know quite what to make of the young pair who'd seemingly popped up out of nowhere. Few cars, no travelers…

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, removing them a moment later to make sure his ears were still flattened close to his scalp. "Keh. I knew we wouldn't find anything," he said. "_Now_ will you climb on?"

"No! Not until I know you're better!"

"Bitch! There was nothing wrong with me in the first place!"

Kagome opened her mouth to make some retort and closed it immediately upon noticing an old man, one of the townsfolk, staring at her oddly. She flushed crimson.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to make some gloating remark and Kagome immediately seized the hem of his sleeve, using it to haul him out from behind the building. Ignoring the stares they received from the few people still out, she pulled him the ten metres or so it took to reach the edge of the forest and stopped.

"What the hell are you—"

Kagome put a finger over his mouth, silencing him. He regarded her quizzically while she stared at the ground, summoning her nerve.

Finally she took a deep breath. "All right," she said shortly. "I don't know what's been going on in your life, that's making you so… _angry_ all the time, and I just want this situation to end."

He made a faint noise behind her hand. It sounded fuzzily like keh.'

She looked up to meet his eyes. "There's only one thing that I want you to understand right now," she said, almost pleadingly. "And it's that I'm not out to hurt you. I've been trusting you so far. We all have. And… I'd just… I'd like it if you could start trusting us too."

She was biting her lip now. Inuyasha tried to remain focused on her words, but it was difficult. She did look very earnest… at least, he thought she did. _And sad…_

The guilt that struck Inuyasha at this thought served only to confuse him further.

Kagome removed her hand from his mouth. "If you could tell me what's been happening, that would be a start," she said.

It took him a few seconds to marshal his thoughts, and when he did, he attempted to reassume a position of defiance. Crossing his arms across his chest, he shifted his gaze to the snow-covered ground. "Keh."

"I know that Kikyou was a miko, I know that she shot you, I know that you loved her, but... it just… doesn't make _sense_." Kagome paused, taking a deep breath, and turned to look at Inuyasha directly. "I just want to know what's going on."

Inuyasha stared at the ground.

**:0:**

_The first time he saw her was still embedded in his memory. He'd tried to forget it more than once, to finally rid himself of all of those memories, but the attempts always failed._

_The_ _glow that had once been reassuring and warm was now smoky, overcast with doubt. Had she known what would eventually come of their relationship?_ _Had she been planning it, even then?_ _Those early memories, of a girl who stood roughly level with his mother's waist… it was hard to reconcile those with the woman who had_ _tried to kill him mere days ago_

_It was just a few months after Miroku had left, and just short of a year before Inuyasha was orphaned for good. He must have been about four... Mother had been very unhappy since Miroku left, which perplexed Inuyasha somewhat. Miroku had been_ happy _to go, eager to see new places, learn about all sorts of interesting things. Inuyasha could understand his own loneliness, but Mother had her own friends, and always had something to do._

_When he asked her why she was upset, usually she would just sigh and tell him it was nothing. But once, she had reached out and taken hold of his shoulder. You know how you're… different from other people?'_

_He nodded._

_You're different from me, and Miroku. You're also different from Sesshoumaru.' The hand moved off his shoulder to trail through a lock of silver hair. But the people who are the same__…_ _they… wouldn't be very nice to you.'_

_I know,' he said, still puzzled. He'd known for a long time. He couldn't go outside,_ _not ever. He'd tried once, just once, and had learned firsthand how unpleasant rocks could be. And Mother had been so sad…_

_Well…' She smoothed down his hair. I… I'd thought that… Miroku's father could help.'_

_He would make me like you?' If he were the same as his mother and Miroku… something deep inside his mind knew that everything would be different._

_She smiled. No.'_

_Like… Sesshoumaru?'_

_No, of course not. I would never change who you_ are_…but there are ways to change how people see you.'_

_And I could go outside?'_

_Yes…'_

_That was the end of that._

_And then_ she _came._

_Even as a young girl, she'd still had enough presence about her to give anyone pause. Her black hair was longer even than his own, her dark eyes faraway and mysterious. She was very pale._

_He had watched from a second-floor window at the front of the house while Mother went to greet her. The little girl was accompanied by a man, one whose thick scent of oil and lies could permeate all the way up to Inuyasha's vantage point. He kept babbling on and on about things like_ _"__soul of Midoriko__"_ _and_ _"__bearer of the Shikon,__"_ _until Mother politely sent him off. The little girl was ushered into the house._

_When Inuyasha stepped off the stairs in all of his clawed, fanged, dog-eared hanyou glory, she didn't jump. She didn't even twitch. Not even Miroku could say as much—upon his first sight of Inuyasha, he'__d yelped_ _aloud and tried to run._

_But Kikyou… she looked him up and down speculatively, and said, I can do it.'_

**:0:**

"And _I_ don't want to tell you, so you might as well leave it at that, bitch!"

Kagome stared at him for long moments while he tried to maintain his glare.

"All right then," she said at last, turning away. Her eyes were burning. After all that, after all that they had gone through, he still couldn't trust her?

"Oi! Where are you going!"

"I'm going _home_, idiot!"

"B-but…" Shock and a vague sense of guilt were quickly shoved aside by annoyance. "How the hell do you think you'll do that without _me_, bitch?"

"How do you think?" Kagome cried, whirling on him at last as the tears finally began to spill over. "I'll find a telephone, and I'll pay with _twigs_ if I have to, but I'm calling my mother and I'm going home!"

"O-oi!" Fully half of what she said didn't register in the slightest. "St-stop crying!"

Impatiently she dashed the tears from her eyes. "I am _not_ crying!"

"You are too!"

Both were cut off as a third voice broke in. "See? I _told_ you I saw strangers!"

Kagome fairly leaped in front of Inuyasha, hiding him—and more specifically, his ears—from the view of the newcomers. A small redheaded boy emerged from behind some trees, leading a woman by the hand. She blinked as she entered the clearing.

"See? See?" said the boy, all but jumping up and down on the spot. "I _did_ tell you!"

The woman stilled him with a barely perceptible gesture and peered closely at Inuyasha and Kagome. "You're not from around here," she said blandly.

"Eh… no," said Kagome, trying to laugh. _Come on, just act natural…_ "We're from Aneston, and we… got lost."

The woman tilted her head, still scrutinizing them. She had the same red hair as the boy, Kagome noticed. She could be his mother… "Aneston? But that's miles away."

"_Badly_ lost," said Kagome.

"I have a friend who lives in Aneston!" piped up the boy. "Her name is Satsuki!"

Kagome grinned, beginning to relax. "Oh, I know her! She's come into our shop once or twice…" _The little girl who lives around the corner... she doesn't actually enter the shop very often... but she goes to Souta's school, doesn't she?_

"You run a shop?" asked the mother.

"My family has a bookstore in town."

"Are you Mrs. Higurashi, then?" asked the boy eagerly, green eyes wide.

Kagome laughed. "I'm her daughter."

"Oh, cool! I've never been in there but Souten says there are an awful lot of books, and that there's also a kid there who she knows and who's called Souta, and I'd thought that Souta was a boy until now…"

His mother shushed him again, hurriedly. She smiled up at Kagome. "I'm sorry. Sometimes he'll say anything…"

Her eyes flicked past Kagome to Inuyasha, of whose presence Kagome was uncomfortably aware. She couldn't see him, but the way the woman's eyes narrowed suddenly made her nervous.

"Umm… I'm not Souta, that's my brother," said Kagome, nervous. "My name is Kagome. And... er... this is Inuyasha," she said, stepping slightly to the side and turning so that she could surreptitiously see what he was doing. His ears were still covered, his hands were behind his back… he was shivering slightly, but then, so was she. He seemed to be glaring at the boy and his mother, however. Kagome nudged him.

"Inuyasha?" The woman kept up her stare. "…Interesting name."

"Doesn't that mean dog—" The boy received another shushing.

"W-well," said Kagome, reaching out and taking hold of Inuyasha's sleeve again, "I suppose then that we'd better get going…"

"You're going somewhere?"

"Back to Aneston," said Kagome.

"Without any coats on?" The woman's face relaxed as concern took over. "You can't be planning to walk back—it's almost nightfall."

"We'll figure something out," said Kagome, pulling Inuyasha sideways and trying to look at him so that he knew to stop glaring. He hadn't made a move otherwise.

"No, no," said the woman, shaking her head and stepping forward. "Come on, you can't expect to get far like that. You can spend the night at our house."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, and Kagome nearly let go of his sleeve. "Oh, thank you very much, but we really couldn't…"

"Not a bit of it," said the woman firmly. She turned around, still clasping the little boy's hand, and began to walk back out of the forest. "Come on," she called over her shoulder. "You certainly can't want to freeze out there."

Kagome shook her head mutely as the little boy craned his head backwards to look at her. She started to walk after them.

"K-Kagome," said Inuyasha softly.

She let go of his sleeve and stared up at him. What was _that_ tone of voice?

"What is it?"

"They're both youkai."

Kagome frowned and looked ahead to where the child and the woman were stepping onto the sidewalk. "Youkai? Are you sure?"

His eyes narrowed further until he was glaring at their backs. But this time, his eyes didn't only hold anger… "I can smell it on them."

Kagome watched the pair for a few more seconds, then heaved an exasperated sigh and tugged Inuyasha forwards. "Come on. It's not like they're trying to hurt us or anything, even if they _are_ youkai."

Inuyasha stopped again, refusing to be pulled any farther. "Idiot! They're fucking _youkai_, bitch! Just because they look like humans doesn't mean they _are_ human. Don't you understand that? "

"Yes, of course... But, I mean, not _all_ youkai can be bad, right?" She looked up at him peevishly. "Just give them a chance, okay?"

He stopped glaring, only for his face to settle into the still-more familiar pout. "Keh."

"Come on. She has a point, anyway—we'll freeze to death if we stay outside all night." Kagome pulled him forwards once more, and he stumbled slightly before following. The boy and the woman were waiting on the sidewalk. Once Kagome emerged from the edge of the forest, they began walking along the sidewalk, presumably towards a house somewhere in town.

Inuyasha was left to follow Kagome, cursing silently at himself… for taking a _human_ with him to a fight; for falling out of the sky; for the dizziness that just wouldn't fucking go away; and for the fact that the little youkai boy and his mother smelled like bad memories from long ago.

**:00:00:**

I just keep… bloody… ending… chapters… _early_! I'll likely end up having twice as many as I probably would have originally…

I've already forgotten all of the rationalizations that I worked out while I was across the ocean… (in between skiing, of course... the French, Swiss and Italian Alps! So... beautiful... Mostly I drew, though. I have some Inuyasha fanart up on my Deviantart account, though none corresponding to this story...)

Uhmm… the identity of the kid is probably fairly evident, but I shan't state who it is directly since the majority of his part still hasn't been hammered out. I'm sorry for the awfulness of the attempted sappiness… long flashbacks definitely aren't my forte.

Ah, yes… part of the reason why everyone in this story seems to eager to trust others is simply the fact that, living way up in the depths of nowhere in my strange alternate universe, they have no reason not to be trusting. There's nothing more than small crimes going on there (like, kids shoplifting, that sort of thing) since they're pretty much completely isolated from the main city. Miroku _did_ pass through, but that was pretty exceptional circumstance, as was probably evident when the scene was being written… at least, I hope it was…

And speaking of Miroku, he REALLY didn't do much this chapter... next chapter he'll have a bigger part. Same with... everyone else whom I've been sadly neglecting to pursue my twisted plotline.

Souten is a canon character, but chances are she won't have a big part in this story. She's… er… away. Yes. That's it.

And... because I've been putting it off for such a mighty long time...

Thank you to those who have reviewed this story.

** Scherezade7** (sorry about problems getting through... FFnet can do some irritating things from time to time)

** SunshineandDaisys** (thank you very much indeed for reviewing pretty much the entire story... and sorry that Miroku's part is getting a bit vague. I'll be getting around to that soon...)

** Inuyasha'sgurl **(I'm not sure whether FFnet will even allow for the underscore in you name... or any other for that matter... so sorry in advance)

**Cyan I'd** (for pointing out all sorts of errors, both in continuity and otherwise, and keeping me on my toes. I just hope I've been keeping up...)

**DarklessVasion** (thanks for some rather detailed reviews)

**devilblondie** (thanks for reviewing my Fictionpress story too... in fact, more than this one... eh heh)

**Knock-on-Wood** (thank you! And... err... please forget the ugly chapter. It may yet rear its ugly head but until then, it's a mistake that I don't wish to repeat)

**Above the roof **(I honestly am not quite sure how many chapters long this will be... I have my plot mapped out in every aspect except for length)

**Sailacel** (my beta, my wonderful beta, who is unfortunately away in France and so cannot rectify my horrid mistakes for another couple of months. And of course, for telling me what the dictionary says a toque REALLY is.)

**yuki kesuma**,** Inu-Tachi Clan**,** Laura-chan**,** HMPrune**,** Lying Fool**,** Zize**, **seikkyokuka**,** Serenity**,** fire**,** chibi moon baby**,** Animekitty07**,** craZie LiL ChiBi**,** Satan's Advocate**,** Torachi**,** lyn**,and **moo moo**.

Wow, if I do it that way it looks rather long... (and difficult to read, eh heh heh...). From this point forward, I suppose I'll only put in the reviews for the current chapter, to make it somewhat less... well, presumptuous and odd-seeming. I think that's the sort of thing most authors only do at the END of a story...


	14. Blood

Urrk... thanks to _Shaid_ for pointing out that I had forgotten to change a couple of names... whoopsies...

**Chapter 14  
**

Miroku blinked as he turned a street corner and looked up to see the bookstore's front door mere metres in front of him. So, his sense of direction was still intact—or at least, he had enough control still to detect traces of the youkai he'd fought against with Inuyasha and Kagome earlier. In fact, the corpses were probably still somewhere around… if they were lucky, no hapless villager would be unlucky enough to stumble across one of them, and cleanup could remain unnecessary. After trudging through snow and ice for far too long, having to search for frozen bodies was not a concept he relished.

More disconcerting, however, was the fact that he could sense neither Inuyasha's youki nor the Shikon no tama anywhere nearby—or in fact, anywhere at all. He had attributed the lack of sensation earlier to tiredness, but now he was far too close to be able to miss it.

Obviously, a certain someone had not returned yet.

That odd bruise on his right hand twinged as he clenched his fist. For a moment he considered hitting something—a wall, perhaps—but after several frozen seconds he relaxed, letting out his breath in a long sigh. Anger wouldn't help now—he had to be calm.

Yes. Calm. _Deep breaths, remember your training…_He could see Mrs. Higurashi inside the shop, though she hadn't noticed him yet.

…But the shop was closed. The woman had her head in her hands, and the desk telephone was inches from her elbow. Miroku blinked.

_She's… upset. No, worried._

_Well, obviously, fool…_

_Uh oh._

Miroku tilted his head upwards and cursed silently at the heavens. He made sure to add a word or two for Inuyasha, and for half-youkai who didn't take responsibility for their actions and ran off with innocent shopkeepers' pretty daughters.

Then he focused his mind, let go of the last irritating tingles of anger, and pushed on the door to the shop. It was open, despite the closed sign, but he'd expected that.

Mrs. Higurashi stood up as he entered. She seemed outwardly calm… but Miroku very nearly had to step back outside the shop. Her gaze was cold as the ice he was standing in.

_You're supposed to be a _houshi_, idiot, a monk… you've been trained to deal with angry people…_

_Why can't I calm down?_

"Where is my daughter?" asked Mrs. Higurashi.

"She's with Inuyasha, at the moment, and…"

"_I don't need _to know that," said Mrs. Higurashi, her voice breaking slightly as emotion began to wear at her cold façade. "I want to know _where _she is, and then I don't care what sort of assurances you give me, I want her home _right_ _now_."

_Assurances? So that's what she expects of me…_ Miroku fought down the urge to laugh."I… had thought that they would come back here."

"As you can tell, Miroku, they haven't," said Mrs. Higurashi, her hands tightening into white-knuckled fists on the surface of the desk. Her voice was shaking but her eyes were level, boring into his and causing him to sweat despite the cold wind blowing at him through the still-open door.

He inclined his head as politely as he could, given the stiffness that was beginning to set in. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Higurashi. I returned for the purpose of retrieving some… more appropriate clothing, so that I might go out and look for them. If they haven't returned yet, the only explanation I can offer is they may have gotten lost." _Well, it could be true…_

The lie (if it could be called a lie—perhaps a stretching of the truth) served its purpose, however. Mrs. Higurashi still had every appearance of being perfectly livid—but the awful tension had drained from the room. "Lost? Aneston isn't that big. And Kagome knows her way around."

_She's worried for them? Well, her daughter, yes, but… Inuyasha…_

Miroku kept his eyes to the floor. "They… were headed past the outskirts of town, the last time I saw them."

Mrs. Higurashi watched him long moments. At the point when he was certain that he couldn't stand it any longer, he had to move or _something_ was going to explode with great force—Mrs. Higurashi moved away from the desk in one swift motion and began to head for the door. "You can borrow a coat from that closet," she said, pointing towards the door in question. "You have a car, right?"

Miroku recovered himself enough to nod.

"All right," said Mrs. Higurashi. "Then why don't you go and get…"

The telephone rang.

There was a long silence as the sound of a second ring drilled through the air.

Miroku blinked, having been stopped dead in the middle of fetching the coat, and watched as Mrs. Higurashi paused and turned around again. Within seconds the telephone was pressed to her ear.

"Hello?"

**:00:00:**

"Hi, mom?" Kagome was puzzled at the impatience in her mother's tone of voice. "Are you…"

"Kagome!" The reply was so loud that Kagome had to hold the telephone away from her ear. Across the room, Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head. "Where on earth _are_ you? I've been worried sick!"

"I'm in Glennesville, mum… we got lost on the way back into town."

"_Glennesville_? But that's miles away!"

"We were… quite badly lost," said Kagome.

Inuyasha scowled and glared at his hands. _Blasted bird youkai… should've killed it straightaway. How could I have dropped her like that?_

His eyes widened as Kagome continued to speak to her mother over the telephone. _…Since when do I care what happens to her, anyway?_

He had no answer for himself. _She's not… she's not Kikyou…but that shouldn't matter anyway, right? Not as if there's anything holding me to _her_ anyway…_

That particular thought made him feel as though his chest had been hollowed out, so he resumed glaring at his hands and wondering what on earth he could possibly do about Mrs. Higurashi.

The house in which they were to spend the night was small (or 'cozy,' as Kagome had brightly exclaimed upon entry), and seemed to consist of a short entry hall, a living room, a kitchen, and a washroom. Perhaps there was a door hidden somewhere leading to a second floor, or basement, or perhaps just another corridor, but the two visitors had yet to see a sign of it. Though that could be attributed to the fact that Kagome had been sent towards the telephone within seconds of arrival, before either of them even had a chance to dry off, let alone look around…

"Yes, Inuyasha's here with me," said Kagome. She frowned. "No, he hasn't been… Mum! No, I told you…"

She placed one hand over the earpiece, as if trying to hide the conversation—not that it would have done any good.

Inuyasha could still hear every word that was spoken, on both parts. He sighed, staring past his hands. _No, I didn't _hurt _her… unless you count dropping her out of the sky as hurting. _His gaze unfocused further. _Not to mention kidnapping her in the first place…and whatever it was that made her cry, earlier… and…_

_I'm an idiot._

"Is everything all right?" He turned around quickly at the whispered voice of the young mother, to find her watching Kagome nervously. "There seems to be some trouble…"

"Mrs. Higurashi is angry," Inuyasha whispered back. _Because of me…_

"Oh, dear," said the redheaded woman, sighing. "Perhaps I'd better speak to her afterwards…"

Kagome, glancing backwards, felt another surge of irritation… _So he _can_ be polite. Just not to me, eh?_

"You're sure you're all right?" said the somewhat tinny voice at the other end of the line.

"Yes, mum, I'm perfectly fine. Inuyasha had a bit of a bad fall, though…"

Inuyasha, who was in the midst of a reply to the young mother, looked over sharply at the mention of his name and scowled. Kagome repressed a small rush of triumph as her mother, who seemingly had gotten over any anger, began to make small exclamations of concern.

"So, you're both from Aneston?" the woman said softly.

"Ah… sort of," replied Inuyasha, still watching Kagome. "'S where we both were before we came here, anyway…"

She nodded, then twisted her hands together fretfully. "Oh… perhaps I should speak to Mrs. Higurashi…" she said softly.

"I'll be coming home tomorrow, for sure, okay?" said Kagome. "Yes… yes, in the morning…. I don't know… no, I'm not sure…"

She turned around, putting one hand over the mouthpiece of the telephone, and addressed the young mother. "Umm… you wouldn't happen to have a car, would you?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the faint sound of yelling coming from behind Kagome's hand. The woman beside him shook her head apologetically, and Kagome put the phone back to her ear, wincing suddenly.

"Kagome you should know better than to just ask like that… it's very impolite, dear!" said Mrs. Higurashi, once the hand was removed. Kagome smiled wanly, and sighed.

"Sorry, mum. I forgot."

"Perhaps I could drive over with Miroku…" said Mrs. Higurashi thoughtfully. "He has a car, after all…"

"What about the shop?"

An impatient _tisk_ing noise sounded over the telephone line. "Oh, never mind the shop. I closed it hours ago, and it won't _vanish_ if both of us leave it for more than a minute. Souta and Grandpa can mind it for once in their lives. Speaking of which…" Mrs. Higurashi's voice assumed a more serious tone. "What happened earlier today? I heard you collapse."

Kagome frowned. "What? I didn't…" A sudden rush of memory interrupted her—the disembodied voices, the strange man with red eyes… "Umm… I slipped."

"Kagome—" said her mother in a warning tone of voice.

"I was trying to get past one of the bookshelves, and I… I fell," said Kagome. The lie was harder to tell than she'd expected. Her throat was aching. _Have I _ever _had to lie to her before?_

_Well, aside from keeping certain things about Inuyasha from her… she doesn't know yet that he's a hanyou, after all…_

She frowned. In fact, if she remembered correctly, she'd never had anything to lie _about_… until Inuyasha came, that is. _Yet another problem to attribute to him_, she thought wryly.

"Kagome, I'd like to get some straight answers out of someone for once, and I thought that you'd be the best candidate," said Mrs. Higurashi, and Kagome twitched, realizing guiltily that she hadn't been paying attention. "Inuyasha's there too, isn't he? Would I be able to speak to him?"

Kagome turned around to ask him, to find that his eyes had widened already. His ears—_youkai ears_—were flattened against his head, and she suddenly realized that he had probably heard every single word of the conversation. She flushed in sudden anger.

"I'll talk to her," said Inuyasha quickly, noticing her abrupt change of mood. He stepped forwards to take the telephone.

He fumbled with the device for a few seconds, at first holding it upside-down to the side of his head, then twisting it so that the correct end was facing his ear. Unfortunately, this left a little bit too much space between his mouth and the proper end…

"HELLO!" he said, a bit too loudly. Kagome winced.

At least he could hear properly, though. Kagome watched him as he listened—at first, he tried to retain some semblance of aloofness, but within the space of a minute his ears were pressed so tightly against his scalp that he could probably have passed for a normal human, and he seemed to be trying to shrink into his clothes.

_It'll be hard for him to intimidate me properly after this,_ she thought, trying to dredge some humour out of their predicament. _Though… I suppose it's nearly impossible by now anyway. _

_I mean, I can't really be scared of someone after I've had to hold their hair back for them while they…_

"I… I will." Inuyasha listened for a moment longer before he looked up from the telephone. "She wants to know where we are right now," he said. Even his voice sounded small and defeated.

"The eastern end of Glennesville," said the woman.

"Eastern end of Glenne-ville," Inuyasha recited into the mouthpiece.

"3 Dawn Avenue…"

"Three Dawn Ah…"

Kagome lightly took the telephone out of his grip and nodded at the woman to continue. "Number three Dawn Avenue, mum. One of Souta's friends lives here…"

Inuyasha blinked.

The woman tilted her head to one side. "Uh… well, the family name is Akakitsune…"

"The, ah, Akakitsune family." Kagome smiled apologetically at the woman, cupping her hand over the mouthpiece. "She wants to speak with you."

"All right," said Mrs. Akakitsune, who'd remained in the doorway the whole time.

Kagome caught hold of Inuyasha's arm as he moved away. "What happened?" she asked.

He shrugged uncomfortably. "She wants to know what's happening. I couldn't tell her over that tele-thingamajig…"

"Well, then, you'll just have to once we get home, Inuyasha," said Kagome sternly. His demeanour gave her new hope—perhaps he would finally tell them? True, he looked more guilty than eager, but… She had to fight down small pangs of worry. _It'll be better for everyone if he tells us, _she reassured herself. _Once we know what's happening, we can actually do something to help…_

She glanced over at Inuyasha again. _And he'd probably feel better after telling someone. _

A small head, topped with masses of red hair, appeared in the doorway. "Do you want to see where you're sleeping tonight?" said the little boy.

"Well, we're not sure yet whether we are sleeping here," said Kagome, glancing over to where his mother was still speaking on the telephone.

For a brief moment the boy looked crestfallen… but within seconds he was smiling happily once more.

"Come on anyway!" he said cheerfully, removing himself from sight. Kagome grasped Inuyasha's arm again and followed quickly.

The short hallway, as it turned out, was not the only corridor in the small house. The door which Kagome had assumed led to a washroom instead opened into a second hall, complete with three more doors. The boy led the two guests to the opposite end of the new room and opened the door there, revealing a bedroom.

"That's the spare bedroom!" he said, grinning at them both.

Kagome frowned in. "Umm… so we'd both be in there?"

"Yeah," said the boy. He pointed in. "See? Two beds."

Inuyasha scanned the room, flushing darker with each passing second. Opting not to speak, he settled for a mumbled "keh" and a dour look.

Kagome laughed lightly, reaching up to rub the back of her head. "Well… uh… need the beds be quite so… close together?"

The boy turned around to peer into the room. "Oh! Umm… well… you could just push them apart, couldn't you?"

"Ah… Kagome?"

She turned around to see the boy's mother standing at the entrance to the second corridor. "Yes?"

"Your mother is coming down from Aneston with someone named Miroku. Is that alright?" the woman asked anxiously.

"Yes, of course," said Kagome, nodding.

"That bouzu's taking us back?" Inuyasha frowned. "How the—how would he do that?"

"In his car, of course," said Kagome—then paused, blinking, as she recalled the events that had transpired the last time Inuyasha had ridden in a car.

Before she could turn and ask him about his thoughts on the matter, he was already striding forwards, away from her. She twisted her head to look into the room, only to find him shoving one of the cots aside violently, so that it slid sideways into the wall with a crash.

It seemed that he hadn't been expecting the sudden noise any more than the rest of them, as he stood staring at it with his mouth half open. The boy removed his hands from his ears in order to scold him.

"Stupid! The beds are on wheels! You can't push them like that!"

"Shut up," said Inuyasha thickly, discomfited. _Nothing _was working… why was it that with every move he made, he just looked like more of an idiot? The kid had put his finger on it… _I'm stupid_, he thought bitterly. _I'm just a common fool… it was my own fault that Kikyou shot me, it's probably my fault she's dead, too… I wouldn't be surprised if Kagome hates me by now._

The room was too small, there was no reason for it to be this small. How on earth did that kid expect anyone to sleep in here? He couldn't even breathe…

Kagome was on the verge of reprimanding him for being so rude to their hosts when the young woman stepped forward again. "One… one thing," she said, turning to Inuyasha. "Um… I noticed that you're a hanyou…"

He tensed immediately, a low growl forcing its way through his throat. Noticing his own instinctive reaction, he smirked, showing fangs. "And I noticed that you're a youkai."

"Yes," said the woman, causing Kagome to gasp.

_He was… so Inuyasha was right?_ She wasn't sure what surprised her more, the fact that the family were youkai or the fact that she didn't really mind that fact. _But… she seems so harmless…_

"Well… I was wondering where you're from. There aren't very many hanyou around," said Mrs. Akakitsune. She paused thoughtfully. "In fact, you're the first I've seen."

"So then how'd you know what I am?" asked Inuyasha, slightly nervously. He _had_ always wondered how most youkai seemed to know his true identity without being told…

"Your youki," said the woman. "It's… different." Suddenly she drew herself up, looking straight at him. "Well? Where _are_ you from? Aneston too?"

Inuyasha stared at the ground. "No."

"Then where?" asked the little boy, who had been watching the exchange with curiosity. So _that_ was why the stranger's aura seemed so weird…

"…I don't know," Inuyasha mumbled at last, turning his face away.

"Oh come on, Inuyasha!" said Kagome impatiently. "We're not all out to get you! You can tell us a simple thing like…" She noticed the flush of embarrassment that was rapidly deepening on his cheeks, and stopped abruptly.

_He… really doesn't know? How can he not?_

"You're not from around here at all, are you," said the woman. The look in her eyes had changed, becoming less unsure. The little boy was nervous now, glancing between his parent and the two strangers.

Inuyasha shook his head.

"Who are your parents?"

He looked up suddenly. "And why the hell should I tell you?" he said, lifting one hand so that his claws were readily visible—a slightly more threatening rendition of the traditional shaken fist. Kagome lunged sideways, catching his arm and pulling it down.

"Stop that!" she hissed.

"Sorry," he muttered, pulling away from her and turning away. Kagome stared at him.

_Did he just… apologize?_

"Oh," said the woman, nervous once again. "Did I… I haven't offended anyone, have I?"

Kagome smiled, trying to look reassuring… or at least unoffended. "No, no, don't worry… we're the ones who should be indebted to you. Otherwise we'd still be stuck out there."

She very nearly blushed herself as she remembered Miroku saying something very similar, just a couple of days ago. _That's right… our situation is pretty similar right now, isn't it?_ She glanced over at Inuyasha. _Why is it that you seem to need help so often?_

"Oh, well, what else could I have done?" The woman smiled back. "I couldn't leave you two all alone the snow…"

Inuyasha had stopped listening and was sitting on the bed. Kagome first realized that something was amiss upon noticing the slightly glazed look in his eyes. _That fall… _

"…I mean, I'd like to think that someone else would do the same thing, in my place," said Mrs. Akakitsune.

"Eh heh… I wouldn't worry about that," said Kagome, trying to hide a sudden stab of worry.

Suddenly Mrs. Akakitsune started. "Oh! I nearly forgot… you're both still soaking wet!" she said. "I would lend you clothing, but… you're about to leave…" She chewed on her lip uncertainly. "Well… you can use the washroom, if you like… I'll go make hot chocolate!"

She said this last firmly, as if expecting an argument, and turned to walk out the door. The little boy glanced at them uncertainly before following his mother.

Kagome blinked, surprised at the sudden half-emptying of the room, before she moved across the bed towards Inuyasha.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. He had closed his eyes, and allowed her to brush his silver fringe aside without complaint.

"Yeah…" his voice was faint. "Just… tired…"

Kagome frowned. _Tired? Well, that's new… he's usually so energetic…_

_Then again, he just recovered from being shot half to death, only to fall a few hundred feet out of the sky and then carry me on his back all the way over here…_

"You're not… hurting anywhere?"

He opened one eye slightly to glare at her. "No."

She sighed and sat back. "Why don't you lie down then? You might be able to sleep a bit before my mum gets here…"

Too lethargic even to bother with token complaints, he barely had time to nod before his already-fuzzy vision faded to grey. Kagome shifted back, startled at his swift compliance.

_At least this means he'll stay still long enough for my mum to get here…_ Kagome tried, and failed, to repress yet another twinge of concern. _He's worried me enough already, darn it! The jerk…he can't even bother to be polite to me and yet still expects me to take care of him all the time…_

She sighed, looking down at him. _No… that isn't fair. It's not as if he ever actually _asked_ anything from us…_

_Oh, I'm so confused!_

Deciding that she must be tired as well, and not wanting to fall asleep, she moved quietly out of the room. _I wonder if Mrs. Akakitsune meant it about the hot chocolate…_

**:00:00:**

It was dark on the outskirts of the city, almost impossibly so. The sky was a deep, oppressive black, weighed down by thickly polluted clouds. It pressed upon everything beneath it, as if trying to crush the man-made landscape into the equally polluted ground. The sun long since having set, the only source of light was from intermittent streetlamps; and by now, the small Taijiya excursion had long since left such things behind.

The industrial section of town had been pushed as far to the fringe as possible. Sarushiro Tono, in all of his campaigning, had either forgotten it or deliberately pushed it out of sight, and the result was several miles worth of factories. The new corporations could not be bothered to spend valuable money on buying and renovating old buildings… most of the things were hollowed-out wrecks anyway, filled with nothing but dust, rotting timbers and obsolete machinery. _Much cheaper_, they reasoned, _to just buy vacant land and build something shoddy there… no factory ever lasts long, anyway. _

And none did.

_How can it be getting darker?_ thought Sango, stroking Kirara gently as she leaned against the wall with Hiraikotsu beside her. Yuta was guarding the main entrance, just around the corner. _If this keeps up I'll be as good as blind before too long…_

_And speaking of long…_

Yuta made no noise to warn her of his approach. Only her years' worth of training kept her from jumping when he tapped her shoulder.

"They're late."

She nodded in agreement, and stood. They had been waiting outside for a ridiculous amount of time… it had to be hours, at least. It was difficult to keep from just running into the warehouse all by herself—the thick, dim air was laden with tension. Kirara transformed with a muted _whumph, _the light shed by her youkai body more than enough to illuminate the doors.

It looked even more forbidding in the light. Sango sighed. Light glittered off the edges of the peeling paint, contrasting it sharply with the dull surface of the rusted areas. The handle was worn down from use—either, in its heyday the place had seen a lot of people, or the deserted air it carried now was merely the façade she was beginning to suspect it o be.

Inside it was lighter that just beyond the doors—perhaps because there was less space for Kirara's light to dissipate into. She was mildly surprised by the fact that the door didn't creak; it hadn't creaked whilst admitting her father and the others, but this time she just… noticed it more.

Kirara immediately crouched low to the ground and began to trace some scent. Despite the tension, Sango couldn't help smiling; the cat youkai just kept proving her training over and over. Maybe she ought to find a way to reward her…

And then they were off. Still very quietly; just because they were now on a quasi-rescue mission didn't mean they had to give away their location. Kirara's flickering light sprayed across the plaster walls, leaving long, angular shadows trailing behind hairline cracks and deep wells of blackness wherever the hallway forked. Looking up, Sango could see the remnants of old ceiling lights, now battered and broken to the point that she doubted whether they could be used as scrap.

_What_ was _this place before it became abandoned? Obviously something happened here… time doesn't break things like that. Was it… attacked?_

Kirara paused as she walked past another fork in the hallway, and Sango, absorbed once more in curious musings, nearly bumped into her. Reaching out to touch the cat youkai's gleaming fur, she looked around and into the fork.

"Did you find something, Kirara?"

The cat youkai looked up at her with large orange eyes. She glanced down, slightly puzzled, and then followed the youkai's gaze to a place behind her.

"What are you looking at?" She glanced behind herself again, unsure of the problem despite the rapid sinking sensation within her chest. "Is something…"

Absence. There _should_ have been someone…

"Yuta," she whispered.

He was gone.

_Oh, dear…_ She stood completely still, trying in vain to slow down the unprofessionally rapid beating of her heart. _If this keeps up, someone'll probably _hear_ it… especially if there are youkai here._ _Damn it, things like this are what I'm _trained_ for!_

_They must have snuck up behind us… but we just came in! There's no way they could have just… unless they got one of Dad's team to talk… or… if it was a trap in the first place…_

She blinked. _If it is a trap, then…_ Negating all of her efforts in one fell swoop, her heart sped up again. _Then Father is in danger!_

From far, far away, down a corridor and somewhere to her left, there was a dull thud. She froze again, treacherous rabbit's heart pounding away, and stared down the corridor in question. Another thud sounded, followed by a clatter.

_D-damn! _Without hesitating for another second, she reached out to the thick ruff of fur around Kirara's neck and swung herself onto the youkai's back.

"The noises," she whispered into one pointed ear. The cat didn't even need that much instruction, apparently, for they were moving before Sango had finished enunciating the first syllable.

Riding Kirara, in fact, was nothing like riding a bicycle. There wasn't really anything Sango could compare it to. Perhaps it was similar to riding a horse; she'd never ridden one herself, the things were hideously expensive nowadays with all the recent crop failures, and she didn't care much for them anyway, but… there was a certain thrill to riding a living creature that just couldn't be captured on a machine. The fur was warm and soft beneath her hands; Kirara moved swiftly with lithe, leaping movements; and the fire played across every available surface, making the hallway around them seem alive as well.

The noises grew louder as she approached, resolving into the distinct sound of some sort of combat. She felt a sudden dizzying swoop of nausea at the sudden appearance of a red stain splashed across the wall to her right, a shock after the monotony of greyed plaster, green door, white plaster, black stairwell... "St-stop!" she gasped, sliding off Kirara before the momentum was fully gone, causing her to stumble forwards a couple of steps before turning to see what had occurred. At first the only thing in sight was the stain on the wall, but very slowly, Sango turned her eyes downward.

Mana was slumped against the wall, dark eyes still open and unseeing. A thin stream of blood ran from her mouth down to her chin, soaking into the front of her tight black uniform.

Sango swallowed hard. Gore was nothing new to her—in the line of work she'd chosen, it couldn't be—but this… this was… different. Less than an hour ago she had been joking with the very corpse that now lay before her. Sango stopped her eyes before she could look any farther.

She backed up slowly until she could feel Kirara's warm side against her. Quickly she had whirled and was climbing on. "Go," she said—_hell with quiet_. "We have to find Father."

Kirara went. Sango clung low to her back, wishing that she could somehow add more speed to their travel. In the narrow, twisting corridors the cat youkai could hardly get up to full speed, but Sango intended to get as close to as possible without losing control completely. The warehouse had an annoying layout, as well—endless reams of corridors, all twining round a central core—the machinery room.

There was a door up ahead; painted dark green just like all of the others, rusted and peeling, half off its hinges in this instance and dented inward as though from some terrific impact. Sango crouched as low to Kirara's back as was possible, and together, they shot through the door.

Red. Red, black, and _hair_. Sango nearly fell off Kirara. The room was dominated by an immense ogre-like _monster_, a beast with long, gnarled arms and slitted red eyes. It nearly took up the whole of the room. As she entered, it turned faintly glowing red eyes on her, one long, clawed arm pausing mid-swing.

And there was her father. Streaked with blood, not all of which could _possibly_ be his own, holding his scythe-blade out in front of himself like a sword and not the staff it was intended to be. Sango would never have thought her eyes could possibly get wider as they traveled around the room, but… Hideki… even Yuta… the floor was strewn with debris, from the skylights far above and from the catwalks that climbed the walls in a series of ridges. Everything was cracked and broken.

"F-father?"

He was looking at her, gasping through his uniform's ornate mask. She could see the tiredness in his eyes, the hopelessness. This wasn't Naraku. He wouldn't have his vengeance; wouldn't achieve his dream. And now he was losing, to a giant, monstrous ogre with big fangs and—now that she could see it properly—a huge scar shaped like a spider stretched across its back.

"**_Another_ human**," gurgled the monster, turning to face Sango with its long, animalistic face stretched into what might have passed for a grin. "**You pitiful mortals never know when to stop coming, do you?**"

_Oh no, no… dad!_

The creature blinked at her, a sort of amusement in its gaze now. "**The fool's daughter, eh?**"

Sango's father was sinking to the ground, his legs folding beneath him, his grasp on his weapon loosening slowly. The monster laughed, a horrible, ringing, garbled sound that bounced off the walls and seemed to shake Hideki's body out of its semi-sitting position near the wall.

"**You're too late, brat. The old fool is giving up. I can sense nothing in his thoughts but resignation**"

And then, without so much as giving her time in which to move, it was coming for her. Far too late, she reached around her back for Hiraikotsu—if she could get space in which to throw the weapon, she might be able to…

Time slowed to a crawl as the monster drew back its arm to strike. A scream rang through the air, one that Sango couldn't feel herself making. She closed her eyes. _I'm… I'm going to die…_

"**What?**"

She opened her eyes to find herself staring into the panicked gaze of her father. Everything was happening far too slowly, and yet she still didn't understand. He was close suddenly, standing mere feet away, and still moving—no longer towards, her, though, but down… towards the floor again. His bladed staff was lying back in the middle of the room, where he'd been standing when Sango had come in moments earlier.

The monster was laughing again. "**Idiot. He must have realized that I can still kill you…**" It shook its claws free of her father's back, still laughing.

_He's… he can't be dead!_

Sango nearly bit through her lip. "You… you…"

"**Monster?**" Calm, cajoling… "**I'm insulted, girl.**"

"Bastard!" Ripping Hiraikotsu off her back, she hurled it at the thing, but it had already stepped out of the ay, chuckling softly.

"**You forget, mortal, I can still read your mind…**"

But, it seemed, the monster had forgotten one crucial thing.

Kirara.

As if to make up for the seconds it had lost, time sped up once again. Sango was nearly bowled over backwards by an impact from behind, and then swept upwards atop a warm, furred back. She covered her head barely in time to avoid being cut by glass as she and the cat youkai burst through the skylights.

Out in the open air, she found her mind returning to itself once again. Taking a deep breath of the rapidly-moving night air, she tried desperately to control herself.

_Father…dad…Mana, Yuta, Hideki… dead. All of them are dead… back there, with that… that…No. Have to think. What can I do? If they aren't dead (no, fool, they are… you saw Mana, didn't you? You saw the blood… no one survives that. Not even…) then maybe I should… No. Think. It was a trap. It had to have been. Why didn't we see it before? Why didn't we perform cross-checks? The operative was lying. Or the youkai was. Or both. Maybe the whole thing has been a set-up since the beginning… by Naraku, of course. But if that's the case, why would he only go after the mission…?_

_Unless he didn't._

Yet another stab of fear. Sango stroked Kirara's ear, turning the cat youkai back to the east, towards the rising towers of the Inner City.

There was a rising column of smoke.

**:00:00:**

Ah, finding a proper name for the Kitsune family was HARD! I didn't want to call them 'kitsune,' because that's so blatantly obvious and cliché (I think everyone involved in the entire genre knows what it means by now, or has named Shippou that in their AU)… so, I settled for 'Akakitsune,' which means 'red fox'. I was tempted to name the family (who are far too trusting for their own good, as seems to be a constant problem here) _kitsunenibakasareru_, meaning 'to be deceived by a fox'… but I didn't. Too long. (If there are any reeally strange typos in her name... something along the lines of sadhsajkjsd... that's because I used that bit of gibberish in order to keep track of where I needed a name. I couldn't just write her nameless...

Oh, and, specifically for the purpose of making the whole affair slightly less depressing, the 'OC's' that I brought in, Mana and Yuta? They're from another of Takahashi's series; the couple from Mermaid Saga who ate the flesh of the mermaid and gained eternal life. Yuta keeps dying, in that manga, and then coming back… and then dying again… and so on. Therefore, if I kill them here, it's not beyond the realm of imagination to think that they both came to life again and lived happily ever after…

Just not in this story, of course.

Sorry for extra-late update... I'm currently suffering from a slow death by schoolwork. Hopefully once all these infernal projects are turned in I'll be able to concentrate better...

Just as a side note, roughly four days have passed in Aneston-time since Inuyasha and Kagome met each other... much of that time with Inuyasha unconscious or otherwise inebriated. So... fluff aside, they still don't really know each other all that well...

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

**DarklessVasion**: Umm...uh oh :nervous author laugh: Well... as I mentioned above, not all that much time has passed... :vaguely elusive gestures towards text:

**SunshineandDaisys**: Well, actually I do plan on inserting more parallels... they're fun to write, and fun to read :grin:

**sublimetrickster**, **angicakesisinuyashaluvr, ****LukeShaehl, ****Animekitty07** ( ...o.O Were you just singing, or was that my first request for a lime?)**, MoonGuardian41.  
**


	15. Chocolate

**General Chapter-ness**

****

Miroku's hands were tight on the steering wheel. He kept resisting the urge to glance over at his passenger—half-afraid that, in his current state, the distraction would be enough to send the car spinning out of control in the still-melting snow and ice. _I never do much driving during the daytime anymore, it seems…_

Mrs. Higurashi's wrath seemed to have worn off long ago, but at the moment Miroku wasn't in any mood to test that. She looked more concerned than angry, now; sitting upright in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing trees. She hadn't spoken to him since the telephone call, when she'd asked (very politely, too) for his assistance in getting to Glennesville. He could only be thankful that he'd thought to wash out the car before leaving… had Mrs. Higurashi seen the blood splattered across the seats, her composure would probably have suffered a nasty blow.

As it was, he was currently worried about her proximity to the glove compartment. He'd stuffed a number of ofuda into it before leaving the city. Chances were that if she were to see them, she'd think they were merely scraps of paper… however, if Kagome was any indication, she might sense otherwise…

…Perhaps she could feel their power right now. Miroku snuck another glance at her, eyes darting from the windshield and back. She didn't seem to be aware of much aside from the passing nighttime scenery…

Then again, she was probably still worried for her daughter. Miroku was too, for that matter. What if he had been completely wrong about Inuyasha? His instincts had never lied to him in the past, but with his luck recently, his childhood friend could have grown up into an axe murderer or rapist… and one with hanyou blood that disrupted other powers from sensing it. The thought was distressing.

Then again, Inuyasha was still technically recovering from a rather severe wound. It seemed unlikely that he would do such a thing…

_Oh, kami… please let them _both_ be safe… _

"Miroku," said Mrs. Higurashi. He concealed a twitch, inclining his head slightly to show that he'd heard.

"Do you… what do you remember of Inuyasha?"

"Well…" Miroku paused to gather his thoughts. He smiled faintly. "For the most part, a small boy with silver hair."

"Yes…" said Mrs. Higurashi, waiting for him to continue.

"He was… very straightforward and determined," said Miroku. "He enjoyed sports…" _Or at least sparring…_

"Hm." Mrs. Higurashi turned to look out the windshield as well. "So basically, one's typical young boy…"

"I suppose."

There was silence for a few more minutes, broken only by the sound of the car's engine and the faint noise of the tyres moving through slush.

"Do you know anything of this Kikyou woman?" said Mrs. Higurashi suddenly. Miroku shifted in his seat.

"He met her after I had left," he reminded her gently. She was already shaking her head.

"No, no, I mean… has he spoken to you at all about her?"

_Ah… so she thinks Inuyasha has told me about her…_

"He's still very reticent, even towards me," said Miroku. "All that I know about Kikyou is that she and Inuyasha were on very good terms for a long time."

"Good terms?" Mrs. Higurashi frowned. "But… wait… isn't she the one who shot him?"

"Yes, or so I gather," said Miroku. He allowed himself another faint smile. "Information has been scarce all around, it seems. But the general impression I get is that, whatever relationship Inuyasha and Kikyou had, something disrupted it in a… drastic way."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded, looking thoughtful.

More silence. Miroku found himself wishing that he hadn't broken the radio, earlier… music, even the hollow, staticky tunes of his old cassettes, would be more welcome than the deadly quiet.

…or perhaps not.

"Do you have a radio in the car?" asked Mrs. Higurashi suddenly, leaning forwards to peer through the dimness at the dashboard. "This silence is unearthly…"

"Uh…"

**00:00**

Kagome held the cup of hot chocolate in both hands, blowing steam off the top of it. However small the Akakitsune's house may have been, cozy was definitely a well-chosen word in describing it.

Now that her clothes were relatively dry, both Inuyasha and Shippou were fast asleep, and she was sitting on a soft couch with a mug of hot chocolate, she felt like she could _think_ again.

"So, where were you two going when you got so badly lost?" asked Mrs. Akakitsune, lowering herself into an armchair. Kagome laughed.

"Ah… we were actually heading back home, which is why it seems so silly now," said Kagome.

"We were exploring the area, and just… went a bit too far, I guess." _Well, it is halfway true… I don't think Inuyasha would want me telling anyone else about the Shikon jewel… _

_Why should I care what he'd want me to say, though, anyway?_ For a brief moment, she considered telling the woman, just to get it all out there… make one good, honest clean sweep of it. But she hadn't even told her own mother yet… something about that idea just seemed terrifically unfair.

_If I'm telling anyone anything, I'm waiting until mum gets here_, she decided.

"Oh…" Mrs. Akakitsune was nodding, and Kagome's attention was snapped back with a guilty jump. "Well, you know you probably shouldn't have gone out in the middle of winter wearing so little. I mean… even if your boyfriend is a hanyou, it doesn't mean that he's invincible."

It took Kagome a few seconds too long to process the mistake in Mrs. Akakitsune's statement.

"Oh, no!" she said quickly. "I…Inuyasha's not my boyfriend!"

"Really? Mrs. Akakitsune tilted her head to one side, and then laughed in a way that made Kagome feel embarrassed without quite knowing why. "I'm sorry! Well… I guess that I'm not one to know, am I?"

"I… I guess…" Kagome fiddled with the handle of her mug, uncomfortable.

"Anyway," said Mrs. Akakitsune, resuming her composure, "relationship notwithstanding, not even a full youkai would want to go out in this weather wearing as little as you two. He may have a very strong youki, but you can't rely on that for…"

"Um…" Kagome caught herself lifting one hand off the handle of her mug, as if she were in class. "Would you mind explaining to me exactly what that is? I'm not… totally clear on that yet."

Mrs. Akakitsune blinked at her, clearly surprised by the question. "You mean… youki?"

Kagome nodded, trying to suppress the blush that she knew was spreading across her face. Why did it feel like she was asking something hideously embarrassing?

"You mean you're with a hanyou and you don't know what youki is?" the woman was clearly shocked. Kagome felt like doing nothing so much as sinking down and vanishing into the soft cushions of the couch, but instead she lifted her head and nodded slightly.

"Well… I haven't known him all that long, really, and he doesn't find it easy to tell people things offhandedly." _I make it sound like he's some poor little shy boy…_

Mrs. Akakitsune paused, thinking. "Well… if you plan on staying with him, then it would probably be better for you to know…"

_S…staying with him? What… what does she think our relationship is?_ By this point Kagome was half-afraid that she _had_ sunk into the couch. Her face felt as if it were aflame. "I…uh…"

"Youki is the aura of power that surrounds every youkai," said Mrs. Akakitsune, thankfully oblivious to Kagome's plight. "Hanyou have it too… generally it's weaker around hanyou than around a full youkai, but… well, I suppose your friend is very strong. I could only tell he wasn't full youkai because I've been told all the differences…"

Kagome leaned forward, curious now. "So, you can… feel youki? What does it feel like?"

Mrs. Akakitsune paused again. "Well, it's…" she made a useless gesture. "It's like… it can't really be explained. Just a sort of… it's like the way you feel wind, or a chill… except the feeling can be warm…" She smiled suddenly.

"Oh." Kagome sat back, remembering her hot chocolate suddenly. She raised it and took a sip, trying to think of another question. The drink was still a bit hot, though not enough so that it would scald. Turning her eyes again to Mrs. Akakitsune, she spoke again. "I've been wondering… I never used to know that youkai even existed, so I'm still kind of in the dark about it… I mean, he's the first youkai—er, hanyou—that I'd ever met… aside from you, of course…" she frowned, beginning to get the feeling that she was running her mouth but unable to stop herself. "But you don't look like a youkai. He has the ears, and claws, and… well, I could tell that he wasn't human. And the ones that followed u—er, the other youkai that I've seen… they didn't look human, either. You do."

She paused, swallowing hard. Mrs. Akakitsune was still smiling, but… perhaps that wasn't a question she was supposed to ask…

Without speaking, the woman reached up and tugged at something on her neck. She had to reach up with both hands when whatever it was jammed; after a few seconds of fiddling, it gave way, and a thin golden chain slithered down her collarbone. Mrs. Akakitsune caught it in one hand, then looked up at Kagome.

To the girl, it seemed that a sort of invisible ripple had just passed through the room. She stifled a gasp. She couldn't put her finger on anything specific taking place, but very suddenly Mrs. Akakitsune was… different. Kagome blinked a couple of times, not quite realizing what had taken place. Very abruptly, her eyes widened.

"You're a youkai!" she squeaked, unable to voice a better reaction.

Mrs. Akakitsune put out a hand and Kagome twitched, until she realized that the woman had simply righted her mug of hot chocolate, which was in danger of spilling. The woman's ears were pointed, just enough to not be mistaken for human ears, but not to quite such an extent as, say, the youkai in the forest—the hand that had been extended was tipped with claws, just as sharp as Inuyasha's (though perhaps somewhat daintier-seeming)—and there, just at the edge of Kagome's vision but still definitely _there_, was a bushy tail.

Mrs. Akakitsune nodded. "This necklace is a charm that keeps my own youki in check. Shippou has one as well—he hides it a lot of the time, but he keeps it with him whenever we go out in public."

Kagome tried to swallow. She kicked herself mentally. _How can I be this rude? Sure, she's a youkai, but… she's helping us! And I'm drinking her hot chocolate!_

"So… those charms… they let you live like humans would?"

Another nod. "Yes. Without these, we run the risk of being hunted down by groups who aren't too friendly towards youkai."

Kagome stared at her hot chocolate. _Of course… Miroku and I can't be the _only_ humans in all the world who know about youkai, right? Something this big… and I guess… with creatures like the ones that were chasing us out there, it only makes sense that people would get a bad idea of them…_ The drink was cooler against her hands, now… she ought to drink it soon, before it lost its warmth entirely. "That makes sense…" She looked up suddenly, a thought striking her.

"How did you get those charms?"

"In the city," said Mrs. Akakitsune. "My husband works there… he knew a woman who had studied the ways of the miko, and she charmed them for us."

"Who was the woman? Do you know if I can meet her?" Kagome was leaning forward unknowingly, eager to know.

Mrs. Akakitsune seemed to sense the underlying question then. She looked at Kagome, more seriously. "Are you thinking of getting one for Inuyasha?"

Kagome blushed despite herself. "Well… yes. I mean, he'd probably have a much easier time if he could pass as human…"

Mrs. Akakitsune shook her head. "The charms don't work on hanyou."

Kagome blinked. "What?"

The woman began to reattach her necklace, not meeting Kagome's eyes. "Well… for one thing, most miko refuse to make anything for hanyou. They're…" She raised her eyes momentarily, to cast a nervous glance towards the corridor. "They're seen as cursed… the majority of youkai see them as an aberration that has to be hunted down and killed, especially because most hanyou are born monstrous. And humans… well." She met Kagome's eyes apologetically. "They tend not to believe in us in the first place…"

Kagome stared blankly at the woman. _Hunted…? Is that why…_ "So… you mean that…"

Mrs. Akakitsune sighed, having finished with the necklace. She looked fully human once more—blunted ears, short fingernails and all. "I… take it that Inuyasha hasn't spoken to you very much on the subject…"

Kagome tried to kick herself mentally again, but it didn't seem to be working very well. Everything was frozen—her hands couldn't have let go of her lukewarm hot chocolate if she'd wanted them to.

_I… I had no idea… _

_Ohh, I must be so rude… she probably took us in thinking that I knew what she was, because I was with Inuyasha…_

"Wait a minute," said Kagome suddenly. "If youkai tend to dislike hanyou, then why did you let us in?"

Mrs. Akakitsune smiled enigmatically. "I've never really been able to hate hanyou…" she said softly.

Kagome thought about this for a moment. Suddenly she gaped, her mind falling to a rather startling conclusion. "You… you don't mean that… _Shippou_ isn't a…"

Mrs. Akakitsune laughed suddenly. "Oh, no! It's not _that_… my husband is as much a youkai as I am." She laughed again. "No… I have a friend whose child has a rather… complicated ancestry…"

"Oh." Kagome smiled too. "Um… what did they do?"

The woman's smile did not vanish, though it became faraway, almost melancholy. "I don't know. I've never seen her… and I haven't seen her parents in years… I only know the circumstances of her birth."

"Oh…"

The room was quiet again. Kagome sipped again at her rapidly-cooling drink, hoping it might conceal her agitation.

_Hunted down and killed? Is that why there were… no, those were after the jewel, weren't they… _

_B__ut why didn't he tell me? Or Miroku… he had to have known, too. If I'd understood, I _

_could've… I could've… _

_Ah, this getting so complicated!_

"May I ask… why exactly are you with Inuyasha?" Mrs. Akakitsune asked.

"Huh?"

"Well… how did you meet?"

That wasn't a question Kagome had been expecting. "Uh…"

"It's all right if you don't want to answer," Mrs. Akakitsune said hurriedly. "Though I'm curious… I'd thought that most hanyou stayed out of sight of humans for the entire duration of their lives. I suppose Inuyasha is different."

Kagome nodded, peering at the woman over the rim of her mug. Well… she had a hard time thinking of how exactly anyone could manage to stay so far out of human affairs as to stay ignorant of things as simple and common as cars…

_Or he could just be too dense to pay attention_, she thought, but couldn't put any conviction behind it.

_Hunted down and killed _

Suddenly a small head topped with thick red hair peered around the corner. "Mum?" said Shippou quietly.

Kagome glanced over as the woman stood up and gasped. The boy had been crying; she could see the lingering remnants of his tears—but that wasn't what startled her. His ears were pointed, the small hands gripping the doorframe were tipped with miniature claws, and she could see his fangs showing as he spoke to his mother.

_Youkai…of course he's a youkai. Come on Kagome, you should be used to this! _

_That boy has a tail… not even Inuyasha has a tail…_She paused. _I think._

"What's wrong, Shippou?" asked Mrs. Akakitsune softly, kneeling to gather the boy into her arms.

"I… had… a dream," he gulped softly, turning his face to bury it into her shoulder.

Kagome stood up, setting down the half-empty mug. "I'm going to check on Inuyasha, okay?" she said, moving towards the door. Neither Mrs. Akakitsune nor Shippou reacted, and so the girl left the room as inconspicuously as possible.

The faint sound of sobbing receded as she moved down the corridor. She was reminded forcibly of Souta—he used to suffer from night terrors, and would on occasion wake up nearly the entire household (with the exception of Grandpa, who would sleep through anything) and bring Kagome and Mrs. Higurashi running to his room to comfort him.

The lights were still off in the room she'd left Inuyasha in—but when she looked in through the doorway, both of the beds were empty. She blinked, momentarily puzzled, and leaned in through the doorway as she tried to look closer—that failing, she moved into the room entirely, walking to the window at the far end before turning around to see the whole chamber from a different angle.

"Not here," she breathed, trying to hold down a surge of worry. _Darn it, I shouldn't be worried about that jerk! I should be angry! I have every right to be, after all…_

But where could he be? _He hasn't left… has he? He… I should have made him promise… but why would he agree to that? He has to leave at some point. _

_Just… not now…_

Realizing the circular direction her current train of thought was in danger of taking, she rubbed a hand across her face and tried to focus. _He has to be somewhere. People don't just drop off the face of the earth… granted, sometimes they can leap very, very high, but…_

_Did he go outside? _

_Well, there is one way to find that out…_

She turned around again to find that the latch on the window was open, and there was a distinct gap between the bottom of the pane and the sill. Swallowing hard, she moved towards it, finding little resistance when she pushed it open.

The rough wooden sill scraped at her even through her now-dry clothes as she climbed awkwardly out the opening. She shivered as the wind blew her hair across her face and seemed to go straight through her clothes, especially after the warmth of the Akakitsunes' living room. _Oh, I am going to get him for this…_

"Kagome?"

Caught halfway through the window, she looked up, gaping. "I…Inuyasha?" _He hasn't run away?_

He was leaning against the wall, just out of sight from within the room, but most definitely still there. _Hasn't left me…_

Her breath caught in her throat. Silver hair spilled down his shoulders, blowing in the night breeze as it glowed with the cold light of the waning moon. The curve of his face was outlined sharply in the same light, while his golden eyes were half-hidden in shadow. For a moment, all thoughts left her head.

Then the moment was lost as he flushed, scowled, and turned his face away with a soft 'keh.' She reddened too, realizing how ridiculous she must have looked in her current position, and struggled to extricate herself from the window.

Inuyasha looked up again at the sound. "You're coming out here?" he said, surprised.

"Yes," she said, panting as she made it out the window but didn't drop to the ground. "Why not?"

"You…" He stopped. "You might get sick," he said, his voice completely free of emotion.

"_I_ might get sick?" Kagome laughed. "And who is it that spent more than half of the last four days flat on his back?"

He snorted softly. "That's different. You're just a human—you aren't built for the cold."

She smiled. "Idiot."

"Wench."

_Well, at least it's better than… the other…_

For a moment she just sat, content to simply remain there with him. He had turned his face towards the sky, watching the thin crescent of silver moon rising slowly among the stars. All questions fled her mind; all worries, all concerns were pushed back for another day.

After a few minutes, however, the cold became impossible to ignore. She shivered again as a gust of wind pushed at her, and glanced at Inuyasha. He didn't move at all, except for the blowing of his hair.

_Wonder what it's like for him_, she thought, watching silently. _His hanyou blood protects him from so much… but is that really a good thing? I mean… if humans don't believe in him, and youkai are out to kill him… and then there was whatever happened with Kikyou… _

_He's always so angry, too—and then whenever he's not, he just looks sad. _A memory flew through her mind, of the grin he'd worn while fighting the youkai, but she dismissed the thought within seconds. _I guess I've never seen him truly happy…_

She didn't realize that her eyes had turned elsewhere until sudden warmth brought her thoughts up short. Turning, she saw Inuyasha settling in beside her on the windowsill. He was peering steadily at a stand of trees some distance away, shifting slightly on the narrow wood to get comfortable.

"Inuyasha?"

He dragged his eyes away from the trees. "You… you looked cold."

Kagome blinked up at him. _And you knew what I was going to ask…_ Instead of asking him what he'd been doing outside in the first place or why he rarely called her by name; or what he'd been doing so many days ago that had ended with his being shot, she just smiled at him. "Thank you."

He looked down at his hands. There was a look to his face that she hadn't quite seen before—she was still trying to discern quite what it was when he whispered "why… why did you let me stay?"

She frowned, confused. "When?"

"Days ago… why did you let me and Mir… why did you let me in?"

"You needed help," said Kagome, smiling again. "And we could give it."

He was silent for a few moments more. "So it didn't bother you at all?"

"Well, we were really worried for a while," said Kagome. "And… maybe it did a little bit, when you wouldn't tell us anything."

"And not… just now… when I took you out here without even asking?" he said, glancing over at her at last. A strange feeling rose up inside her at seeing his expression.

_He looks almost… shy…_ "Inuyasha, if I had really been dead set against coming, I wouldn't have come," she said, trying to reassure him. "I don't mind, really." She laughed. "Besides, whatever else I can say about the last few days, they've definitely been an adventure."

"And when… when I dropped you?" he said, too softly for her to catch any emotion in his voice.

"I was… scared," she said carefully. "But you caught me."

_That doesn't make it any less my fault. _He gazed at her—the girl he'd known for such a short amount of time. Her black hair had gained a number of bluish highlights from the moon, which moved as she did; and her dark eyes were earnest as she spoke to him. The more time he spent in her presence, the less like Kikyou she looked… the less like Kikyou she acted. _And it doesn't change the fact that_ I'm _the intruder—she never asked for any of this. I should leave before someone starts to figure out what's going on…_

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Kagome blinked up at him. _He just… apologized. Again. _

Abruptly she leaned sideways and wrapped an arm around his side, leaning against him more fully.

He tensed, briefly, before relaxing and looking down at her. It took a moment or two before he could gather enough thoughts to move an arm around her, too.

It registered in Kagome's mind that she had stopped shivering—she was still cold, on the side that was facing away from Inuyasha, but his warmth stopped her from noticing. _Oh, I'm going to regret this in a day or so…_

But she would stay like this a little while longer.

**00:00**

For most of her life, Sango had considered tears to be warm. In addition to being physically warm, they also represented the loss of something that one cared about—and caring was a warm emotion, even if the sadness was not. Now, though, the tears that streaked her face were as cold as ice; blown back against her cheeks and frozen before they had a chance to dry, she tried to ignore them, keeping her eyes fixed on her destination. It _hurt_, it hurt to keep herself focused. It hurt to stay on Kirara's back, to ignore the warehouse behind her, to ignore the corpses that were doubtless still there.

_Father…_

Half of her instincts screamed at her to go back, kill the youkai that had murdered her friends and her parent, and then cradle her father's body until she had no more tears left to give. However, that was not an option. She _knew_ that it would do no good; she would simply be killed herself, and there were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.

Like the smoke. It was approaching far too slowly…

Her teeth were clenched against the wind—she couldn't think, couldn't feel. All that was left was to act. _I'll kill it… I'll kill whatever is threatening the Core, and then I'll go back, when I have nothing left to lose…_

It took her a few moments to realize that she'd reached the Core already. The smell of smoke was not as thick in the air as she had expected—the building itself did not seem to be particularly damaged, though there was a fire _somewhere_, if the smoke was any indication. _Then what…?_

She sagged against Kirara's back upon seeing the noticeably different shape of the building itself.

Certainly, there were no actual breaches in the walls… but something had caused the roof to cave in violently, taking the dilapidated sign with it. Kirara was not making any move to descend—a sign which Sango's harried brain still recognized as meaning that there was nothing there, or that whatever had just been was not gone. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but the absence of any direct threat was unnerving.

_It's finished with the Core. _

She dropped her face into the cold ruff of fur around Kirara's neck. _I'm… too late. Again. _

The cat youkai was still agitated, however. Without giving any signs of wanting to head down, she was turning her head impatiently—almost as if she were trying to get Sango's attention. After a few seconds, Sango lifted her head, rubbing a hand across her face.

"Ki-Kirara?"

The cat ignored her. Large red eyes turned, trying to scan the horizon through the darkness and fog.

"Do you… sense something else?"

After a moment, the youkai turned her head in a new direction. Sango peered through the gloom, trying to follow her gaze. There was little to see… small pinpoints of light marking houses, slightly brighter ones marking the locations of streetlamps. Nowhere were these bright enough to give actual details.

Nonetheless, something deep within Sango plunged, dragging at her heart. She knew that direction. How often had she pedaled along, imagining that she was riding Kirara?

The cry was startled out of her before she even had time to think, and then they were moving again.

_D-dammit…_

**00:00**

And thar she blows. -grimace- This is the first chapter I'm uploading from India (yes, that's where I am right now... the city of Bangalore)... and I'm really short on time. So... here's a post of a chapter that's just about as raw as it can get.

Anyway, I don't have time for full-out review responses... but there was one which kind of amused me, so...

Me: Well... it only really counts as a flame if it's hurtful, see. I posted this story in the romance category becausethat is what I'm aiming towards... I'm just not going to make it fast. Though I could put in more, I suppose... right now both characters are acting rather abrasive...

Short, short... anyhow...


	16. Thunder

**Chapter 16  
**

The cold fog whipped against Sango's cheeks as Kirara continued through the air. It was hard to see through the tears freezing against her face, clinging to her eyelashes—the lights below had long since dissolved into streaks, shifting like stars beneath her.

She had reached her destination. The small peaked roof was plain and nondescript from above…

…aside from the fact that it was her home.

The street was always quiet, but now the same pleasant silence was unnerving. Sango could feel her pulse in every limb of her body as she stared down at her own roof, and she nudged Kirara to go down.

The quiet continued as the fire youkai touched down, and Sango stepped off. As she moved onto the sidewalk, she was suddenly taken aback by the incongruity she and Kirara presented to the peaceful residential street. _Agh… if I'm right, he won't be at the door…_

Returning to Kirara, she jumped on quickly and brought the youkai up to the small gable above the second floor window. The fire cat growled questioningly, but she was already swinging herself onto the sill.

Crouching and sliding two fingers beneath the windowframe (she had been telling her father to change the window for years, as any thief could use the gap to break in… not that it mattered now), she realized the oddity of breaking into her own home. _I can't care about that now… not now…_

The window was pushed up, and she jumped onto the floor of Father's room, trailing Hirakiotsu behind her so that it wouldn't damage the frame. _I can't cry… not yet…_ "Kohaku?"

Silence. She cursed the quiet, damned it with every invective she could think of, and then walked out into the hallway. Something small and furred brushed past her foot, and her hand twitched towards her sword before she realized that it was Kirara's smaller form. The wooden floor didn't creak beneath her footsteps, and from the dim light filtering from beneath the door at the end of the hallway, Kohaku had turned on his nightlight before going to bed. The normalcy of this gesture calmed her down somewhat, slowing the pace her heart was setting against her ribs…

She opened the door to his room, calling out softly once again. "Kohaku?"

Kirara rubbed against her foot and mewed, before heading to one side of the room. Sango stood still, frozen in the doorway, staring at Kohaku's bed.

It was empty.

She closed her eyes hard and opened them again, as if this act could change what she'd already seen. The drying tears on her face made it feel as if she were cracking her face. The half-light revealed a perfectly normal room: the books on the desk, a few clothes which he hadn't gotten around to putting away; a few half-completed school assignments. The bed was rumpled—but then, it was always rumpled, he never straightened it unless Sango or Father told him to. It could mean nothing.

_Please let him be at a friend's…_

She felt cold and hollow inside, as if the tepid air inside the house was seeping into her bones. Kirara was sniffing and growling at something that had fallen to the floor beside the bed. Sango went over and knelt down beside the youkai, placing one hand on Kirara's head while she picked up the something. It was a piece of string (or… hair?) tied to a small wooden thing… as she looked at the object, she realized that it was a sort of doll, shaped like a ninepin.

"What…"

Suddenly it began to glow, shafts of white light bursting from its outline and casting shadows in the shapes of fingers across the walls. Sango found herself thrown backwards into the warm, furry side of the now-transformed Kirara, near the door once again.

She looked up immediately, and gasped. A figure was standing beside the bed, where she'd just been—what looked like a man, wearing a long, white pelt of some sort. The blue baboon mask attached covered his face almost entirely, leaving a soft, smiling mouth and chin beneath a gaping, toothy upper jaw.

"Who—" Sango gasped, clutching the ruff around Kirara's neck.

"I am Naraku" said the figure, smiling down at her.

Naraku… the youkai her father had been searching for… so many years of crime, murder, deception, all linked to this white figure standing before her… Sango thought her chest would explode. "You…" She snarled up at the figure, pushing herself up so that she could lever herself off Kirara's back. "You're responsible for this!"

"I have a request of you," said Naraku, in the same tone as before… just as if he couldn't see the anger in Sango's eyes.

"If you think I'll do anything you ask of, _youkai_, you're dead wrong!" cried Sango, not even bothering with the middle step of getting off Kirara and settling for simply lunging directly off the youkai's back, whipping Hiraikotsu out from behind her back, readying for the swing.

Naraku twitched an arm and blue fire shimmered between them, knocking Sango to the ground. The boomerang clattered to the ground behind her, and she made no move to retrieve it.

The baboon fur did not so much as rustle as Naraku moved to stand over her, looking down—or at least, tilting his head so that the empty holes of eyes within the baboon mask stared down at her impassively. He might as well have been filling the entire room, for all the effect that would have had.

"I have a request to make of you," he repeated, "and you would do well to follow it. I have your brother—" Here Sango let out a small, choking squeak "—and he is currently in good hands." The smile broadened slightly. "He will be returned… should you do what I ask of you."

:00:00:

"So wait, you say his broad lived _here_?"

"You weren't listening to me when I said that earlier?" The second, smoother voice placed its emphasis precisely.

"Yeah, yeah, but the aura here… it feels wrong." This voice was lower, harsher.

"Obviously, dimwit—it's the home of a kitsune youkai. They're masters of illusion, don't forget that."

"Yeah… but I'd thought… once he was dead…"

"Are you going to knock or not?"

:00:00:

Kagome was halfway to falling asleep on Inuyasha's shoulder when they heard the scream.

The hanyou was up in an instant, ears flicking forward as he strained to hear inside. Kagome stood slowly, frowning and trying to remember what she was doing outside, of all places, and without a proper coat. "What—"

He remained standing, jaw clenched—and then suddenly he wasn't. It took Kagome a moment to realize that he was running, around the side of the building and out of sight.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled after him, starting forward.

"You stay there!" His voice drifted back to her. She gritted her teeth.

"If you think I'm just going to stay here and wait, you have another thought coming, boy!" Incensed, she jumped down from the ledge and ran after him.

Suddenly another scream rang through the air, stopping her breathing momentarily. Loud, chilling, inhuman; she felt a chill run from the back of her neck right down to her toes, as if her blood had briefly been replaced with icewater. "Inuyasha…" she whispered, continuing to run as soon as she had made certain that her heart was still beating. The scream hadn't been his, she knew that, but… _has he done something?_

It took altogether too long to reach the front of the house.

:00:00:

"And… what the hell… are you two?" Inuyasha growled, trying to keep a steady position on the slippery threshold. Mrs. Akakitsune stood behind him, fingers clenched together—it had been she who'd screamed; once upon opening the front door to a pair of blood-stained strangers—_youkai_ strangers, at that—and once again as the taller and younger-seeming of the pair, a pale youth with a thick plait of black hair, had attempted to impale her with a long golden staff.

Inuyasha had jumped in, catching the weapon in now-throbbing bare hands, and now he stood between the woman and the youth.

The boy had recovered from his shock at having been thwarted, and was now grinning cockily at Inuyasha. "I? You dare ask who _I_ am? Why don't you speak first, cur."

Inuyasha merely snarled at him, shifting his gaze to the second stranger. The location of the fight was a bit too close to the house for comfort… he was holding off the youth mere steps from the still-open doorway, so close to being inside that the yellow light spilling from the hallway was interfering with his night vision. He couldn't even see to the end of the long driveway—the road simply dissolved into blackness, and the spaces between the trees were wells of shadow. He could make out the face of the pale one above his weapon, with his haughty, finely-carved face—thin, arched eyebrows, high forehead, and confident eyes… but the second figure was little more than a bulky outline. It made Inuyasha nervous, having a potentially dangerous enemy being out on the fringes of his awareness…

_Damn it… why didn't I scent them sooner? I should have…_ he had to concentrate to keep the flush from colouring his face. _I didn't scent them because I was… I was…_

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome rounded the corner of the building, breathless and panting, only to see that no, Inuyasha hadn't left; no, he hadn't attacked Mrs. Akakitsune or Shippou or a random innocent off the street—but, lack of random innocents aside, there were a few too many people standing in front of the house.

All of whom were now staring directly at her.

"What's going…"

One of the shapes, the one she'd taken to be some sort of lumpy vehicle, moved quickly, and suddenly rough hands were around her neck and something cold and vaguely body-shaped was pressed up against her from behind. She opened her mouth to shriek, but the second hand rose to clamp itself over her mouth.

"I have her!" said a shrill, croaking voice, and Kagome froze in horror.

The light still emanating from the doorway illuminated the situation spread before her, like a diorama—Mrs. Akakitsune standing behind Inuyasha, who in turn was holding back the weapon of the young, dark-haired man. And, mere feet away from it all, stood Kagome and her captor.

Inuyasha's opponent turned to the hanyou, gloating. "What are you going to do now, dog? If you move, my brother Manten will snap her neck…"

"K-Kago…" Inuyasha clenched his teeth, irritated. He glared at the short, lumpy youkai holding onto Kagome, feeling another growl rise in his throat. The weapon was vibrating against his hands—he could hold it back, his strength was not at issue here, but it was heating up in a rather disconcerting manner… "I'll kill you both, is what I'll do," he snarled.

"Ah, Hiten, are you sure I must kill her immediately?" said Manten suddenly, his voice lowering into a croon. The youkai was running his thumb slowly up and down Kagome's neck, having turned her face towards himself. "She is a pretty one… may we take her home, after?" Kagome let out a muffled squeak of protest, and Inuyasha snarled.

"Ah, but what makes you think you will be able to kill us, dog?" said the pale one laughingly, pushing at his weapon so that Inuyasha's feet slid back an inch or so along the ground. "You have the aura of a half-youkai—what chance do you stand against Hiten and Manten, the Thunder Brothers?"

Through the terror and disgust at her captivity, Kagome inwardly quirked an eyebrow. _Bit arrogant, isn't he_… Manten's thumb grazed her chin, allowing to feel every callus on his thick skin, and she winced. _Though at the moment…_

"Shut up!" said Inuyasha, straining against the staff and glaring at Hiten. _Damn it… if only she'd move… if I attack, I have to let go, and then this bastard will…_

Abruptly something slammed into Hiten from behind and to the right, knocking him sideways as he let out a yelp of surprise. Inuyasha found himself holding onto the Thunder Brother's staff, blinking as he found himself facing Mrs. Akakitsune. "Wh-what…"

He turned around to see the Mrs. Akakitsune he'd thought that he was protecting dissolve into smoke and vanish. _An illusion…_The real Mrs. Akakitsune smiled waveringly at him.

"Hiten!" squawked Manten, squeezing Kagome's throat so that she gurgled and clutched at his wrist. The short, lumpy youkai turned blazing eyes upon Inuyasha and Mrs. Akakitsune. "You…"

"Let _go_ of her!" Inuyasha dropped the staff and lunged forward, claws extended, and Manten stepped backward, dragging Kagome with him. Inuyasha slashed at the retreating youkai, but Manten turned so that Kagome was facing him and he froze midswing.

Manten's hand left her mouth at last, but Kagome couldn't do anything about that—weak and out of breath from her near-strangling, all she could do was watch through blurring vision as, behind Inuyasha, Hiten got to his feet. Mrs. Akakitsune had picked up his staff, but Hiten knocked it from her hands and whirled… Inuyasha remained frozen, glowering at Manten as the youkai shifted his hand deliberately upon Kagome's throat.

"One more move and I'll kill the girl," said Manten, staring at Inuyasha from over Kagome's head. "Pretty as she is."

"Stupid, pathetic hanyou!" shrieked a voice from behind Inuyasha, and he whirled just in time to catch the staff as it descended once more. Manten seized the opportunity to move back several more feet.

Hiten was livid. Instead of simply matching strength with Inuyasha like before, he immediately whipped the weapon away and swung again, carving a long tear down the front of Inuyasha's new shirt. Kagome let out a muffled yelp as the hanyou staggered backwards.

"You don't touch him," hissed Hiten, and abruptly the staff was glowing, throwing living shadows across the quiet street. Inuyasha hissed as the metal burned against his chest, and tried to move backwards even as Hiten moved forwards to match his pace. The dark-haired youkai's eyes held a mocking expression. "So, hanyou, what shall be done to you… sliced to ribbons, or cooked?"

"How about you shut up!" snarled Inuyasha, knocking the weapon aside with his claws without bothering to think about the meaning of his opponent's statement. He lunged forwards again, only to be caught in the side. _Damn it… he's too fast with that thing…_When he tried to move, Hiten grinned and tensed his arm. Abruptly the rod glowed white-hot—the air around it shivered and cracked, exploding into streaks of light that illuminated the trees with a sudden glare. Inuyasha yelled as sudden, burning pain shot through his left side.

Kagome tried to focus on the battle through mounting panic. Manten still held her motionless, unable to lean away from his rather unpleasant figure. He had moved back farther into the shadows, not that she had been able to see him properly before. _Inuyasha…_ She didn't dare close her eyes, though she would have liked to. But perhaps there were other options…

Opening her mouth wide, she allowed herself a grimace of revulsion before biting down as hard as she could, and at the same time kicked backwards. Manten's startled yelp was accompanied by a loosening of his hand upon her throat, and so she wrenched herself away from him, breathing deeply as she turned around.

She gaped.

He came further into focus as her eyes adjusted to being faced away from the light. He was shorter than she'd expected, especially considering his girth; his skin was a dark greenish colour, and vaguely reptilian in appearance. He had the lumpy, misshapen snout of a lizard, peering out incongruously beneath a small baseball cap. _A youkai…_

"Come back here!" he said, sweeping an arm out in an attempt to catch her by the waist once more. She gathered her wits just in time to jump away, and by the time Manten swung out again, someone else had entered the fray.

"Mrs. Akakitsune," gasped Kagome as the woman darted in front of her and threw something into Manten's face. There was a sharp bang and a puff of smoke, and the lizardlike youkai staggered backwards, clutching at his eyes. The kitsune moved towards Kagome. "Come on, we have to move," she said urgently.

"I can't just leave!" said Kagome, brushing off the woman's hands. The light from Hiten's attack had died down, and Inuyasha was still standing, but now he was visibly battered. The shirt she'd given him just that morning was charred and shredded on the left side. _I guess now I know why they call themselves the Thunder Brothers…_

"You have to come with me!" said Mrs. Akakitsune. "Here, you'll just be in the way! And I need you to help me get Shippou out of the house."

Kagome stared at her, gaping slightly. _If she wants Shippou out… that means she doesn't think the house is safe anymore…so…_ "You think Inuyasha is going to lose!"

"I don't!" said Mrs. Akakitsune, losing her patience at last. "But we've made enough noise out here to have woken him up, and I can't have him walking out into the middle of this!" She pressed a hand to her forehead. "Oh… if only my mate were here…"

"Where is he?"

"He went to—look out!" Kagome was pushed backwards even as another flash of light erupted between herself and Manten. This time the Thunder Brother paused for mere seconds before fixing watery eyes upon the two females and moving forwards.

This time Kagome followed Mrs. Akakitsune without as much complaint, glancing backwards as she went. Inuyasha seemed to have gained the upper hand, finding a handhold on Hiten's wrist so as to keep the metal rod away from himself, but somehow this failed to reassure her.

The kitsune woman vanished around the side of the house, and Kagome ran with her. From the crashing noises behind them, Manten was attempting to follow.

"How can those two be brothers?" gasped Kagome, trying to keep up with the youkai. "They don't look alike at all!"

"Youkai often don't," replied Mrs. Akakistune softly, turning to the back of the house. The light of the thin crescent moon was reflecting off the windowpanes, and the gentle swaying of the curtains was disrupted as Kagome hauled herself through.

"Mother?"

Mrs. Akakitsune gasped even as she was halfway through the window. "Shippou! What are you doing out of bed?"

The small boy rubbed at his eyes sleepily. "I heard… noises…"

"Shippou," said Mrs. Akakitsune grimly, "we're going out of the house now, okay?"

"All right," he said, in the same sleepy tone of voice, and turned around to head out the door. Kagome shot forwards instantly, as Mrs. Akakitsune was still occupied with the window, and grabbed Shippou around the waist.

He looked up at her, startled, even as his mother said "not that way, Shippou… please…"

"Come on," whispered Kagome, drawing him towards the window. Mrs. Akakitsune let out a yelp as she looked towards the corner of the house. "Kagome! Hurry!"

Shippou finally caught some of their urgency and broke away from Kagome, running to the window. Mrs. Akakitsune caught him up immediately and jumped out, holding him against her side.

Manten lumbered towards them, panting harshly. His eyes were bloodshot in the moonlight, and Shippou gasped at the sight. Kagome scrambled out of the window with as much speed as she could muster—tempting as it was to run further into the house and away from the fighting outside, she'd only trap herself.

"Where are you trying to go off to?" Manten snarled, glaring—but from the unfocused look of his eyes, he couldn't quite see them properly yet.

"Wouldn't you like to know," said Mrs. Akakitsune coldly. Kagome stood beside her and attempted to look resolute.

"You…" said Manten in the same hoarse voice. His reddened eyes shifted to roughly where Kagome was. "You were pretty. I might have let you live long enough to bring you back with me…"

Kagome shuddered.

"What's going on?" cried Shippou, staring at Manten, staring at the youkai from where his mother still had tight hold of him. "Who are you?"

"I am Manten, of the Thunder Brothers, and you would do best to remember that," said Manten, imitating his brother's speech.

Shippou made a face. "My father could beat you," he retorted. "He does it for a job!"

Manten barked out a laugh, blinking down at them. His vision seemed to be returning slowly, and he was gaining confidence. "Your father? Brat, my brother Hiten and I were hired to kill him—and to finish the job…"

Mrs. Akakitsune froze, clutching her son even as the child stared at the youkai with wide, glowing eyes. Manten laughed again at their reactions and then, seizing his chance, lunged forwards.

"No!" Kagome shouted, throwing herself in front of Mrs. Akakitsune and her terrified son. She didn't even have time to reflect on the tremendous stupidity of her action—just time enough to put up both of her hands in a useless defensive gesture. As if thin human arms could ward off a youkai the size of Miroku's car…

And then everything whited out.

:00:00:

Sorry for the shortness! And the... uh... slowness. My computer died again, and then school began, and then the computer died _again_... it was just heartily annoying all round. I'm happy that people liked the scene between Inuyasha and Kagome on the windowsill... it was fun to write. (And... err... I'd probably mess up terribly if I tried to tell others how to upload stories, sorry. It's something that's easier if you figure it out yourself, and kind of difficult to explain without actually being right there. Sorry...) And to my beta... I made the changes Zhanone! Except for the Superman thing...At any rate,my writer's block seems to have been alleviated slightly. Perhaps it's the advent of winter...

Hmm. Kind of makes sense now that I think about it...

Anyway. I'm gonna be bad and upload this without the end of the chapter having been beta-ed. So there, plausibility!

And yeah. Ewwww... Manten... XP


	17. Light

A note: this chapter is currently in its semi-unbetaed form, in that I had it betaed, changed some of the dialogue and plot points, and then sent it in for re-betaing. Since the results of that haven't come in yet, I decided to just put up the chapter anyhow... for reasons that will be explained in the A/N at the end. Sorry if something in here doesn't make sense, it'll be fixed sooner or later...

**Chapter 17 **

Miroku's hands tightened on the steering wheel.

_There_… Right on the fringes of his awareness, but still as clear as if it had been right in front of him… He strained for the fading sensation of it, but the feeling was draining away as quickly as it had come.

The power of the Shikon no Tama had erupted. There was no doubt about that in his mind—and no doubt that it had been Kagome who was responsible. She was, after all, the holder of the jewel.

_Something's happened… danger?_ The flash of energy had felt pure, so at the very least, the artifact was still in Kagome's possession. If a youkai seized it, or anyone with less-than-pure intentions, it would likely be a different story.

_Too early to panic_, he thought, reassuring himself. He couldn't have remained tense for much more than a few seconds. _If there's a second wave, of impure energy… then panic is justified. Not until then._

The only thing to do was to keep driving, and wait for any further signs.

**:00:00:**

Waka very nearly sat bolt upright in startlement. He restrained himself, however, and felt a vague sense of pride in this—it just wouldn't do to let himself show any sort of discomposure, not in front of Tono and his delegates. As the power surging through his connection with the Shikon no Tama began to fade, he allowed his body to relax. No one had noticed; even if they had, it wouldn't have dimmed the satisfaction that had overridden the shock.

_I know where it is._

Waka smiled.

**:00:00:**

It took Inuyasha a moment or two to realize that the scream wasn't Kagome's. By that time, Hiten had already whipped his head around and was staring towards the house.

"Manten," he whispered.

"You're—fighting—_me_!" grunted Inuyasha, levering the staff out of Hiten's hands once again and feeling the tingle as the charge it carried dissipated into the air. The skin of his hands felt too tight, too hot, but he couldn't pay any attention to that. _Kagome…_ The shriek hadn't been Mrs. Akakitsune's, either, and it had been fraught with pain—which, if he cared to think about it, probably meant something good for his side of the fight, but Inuyasha wasn't thinking about that.

Hiten made a grab for his staff, and Inuyasha kicked it out of reach, seizing the opportunity to lash out. He half-expected Hiten to dodge the blow—but either Inuyasha was too fast, or Hiten was too slow, and it connected solidly with the youkai's cheek at the same moment that Hiten regained his weapon.

There was a satisfying crunch, and the thunder youkai's hand spasmed briefly. Hiten glared at him through a darkening bruise while Inuyasha blinked in surprise. "You…" said Hiten. "Your little human wench will pay for that!"

It took Inuyasha another moment to realize that he meant Kagome—_bit slow today, aren't we?_—and by that time all he could see of Hiten was a long black braid vanishing around the corner of the house with what could only be described as demonic speed. Cursing, Inuyasha leaped straight up, landing on the roof of the house and immediately launching himself off once again.

**:00:00:**

Shippou was whimpering into Mrs. Akakitsune's collarbone as Kagome lowered her arms. Her mind was being irritatingly slow in telling her just _why_ she hadn't died a painful death. There were spots in her vision, as if she'd stared directly into the sun, or a particularly bright lamp, and she blinked, trying to clear it.

Manten was screaming as his chest dissolved. His form came into slow focus, colours emerging from the bleached whiteness that had briefly become her surroundings. Kagome swallowed hard as something jumped in her throat, unable to tear her eyes away from the hideous sight as he turned glazed, red-rimmed eyes upon her. He screamed again, blood running down his chin as he began to fall at last. She could see the icy, moonlit ground behind him through the hole in his middle, and felt as if she were going to be sick.

Mrs. Akakitsune was stroking Shippou's head, not looking at Manten but instead gaping at Kagome. "What… what did you do to him?" she said hoarsely.

Kagome closed her eyes, willing the nausea to fade. "I…" _I did this? I did, didn't I…_

Hiten rounded the corner with such speed as to make it seem he'd appeared out of thin air. Taking in the scene at a glance, eyes lingering on Manten's prone form, he met Kagome's eyes as she looked up.

"You," he growled. "You… killed my brother…"

_Killed ...  
_

_…Yes… yes, he's dead now… has to be…_

She didn't even notice as he lunged forward, even when Mrs. Akakitsune screamed and pulled at her arm, trying to get her to dodge Hiten's blow along with the small family. The staff crackled with the same bluish lightning as it swung towards them, making the air shiver.

She did, however, notice when Inuyasha slammed shoulder-first into Hiten, knocking the youkai sideways into the snow.

Inuyasha was on him before he could sit up. "Don't you dare touch her!" he yelled, swinging a fist into Hiten's face. His yellow eyes were livid, the pupils mere slits despite the darkness of their surroundings. "Fucking bastard!"

Kagome gasped then, fighting the urge to bury her face in her hands. Mrs. Akakistune had pulled her aside, and might even have managed to lead her away from the fight if Kagome hadn't stopped. _I can't leave him. _

Hiten grinned at him painfully, mirthlessly. His eyes were narrowed, the expression in them matching Inuyasha's own. "You dare tell me what to do, dog?" The grin widened. "I suggest you be more concerned about your own fate than that of the girl.'

Inuyasha frowned, trying to interpret his words, but his thoughts only got as far as _shit!_ before the staff lit up once again and threw him off Hiten, burning into his side at the same time. Inuyasha landed on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

Kagome began to run forwards, but before she had gone two paces Hiten turned and pointed the staff at her. She threw up her arms again instinctively, and there was another flash of light—but this time, it was the blue lightning of the thunder youkai, and it was directed most definitely at her.

"Kagome." Inuyasha sat up, eyes wide with disbelief as the ground tore itself to pieces between him and the girl. He couldn't see her through the light, but he could hear her—and she was screaming. "Kagome!"

Hiten was turning back to him, a grim look of satisfaction spreading across his face. His eyes were too wide, shining with the wrong light. "Manten calls for more blood," he said, but Inuyasha was fed up with listening. The screaming had died down.

"Shut the fuck up!" Inuyasha didn't even bother with the intermediary step of standing up, he just launched himself directly off the ground. Drawing back his arm, he swept his claws forward, slashing at Hiten with a yell. **"Sankon tessou!"** Trails of light followed his fingertips, shooting towards the youkai.

Hiten dispersed the attack easily, knocking them aside so that they shattered the window behind him, dislodging a few bricks. He began to grin, although it did not lessen the mad gleam in his eyes. Inuyasha was breathing hard, shifting his gaze between his opponent and the wall of blue energy that still separated him from Kagome.

_Kagome… Kagome' s...  
_

_… body…_

The thought of her lying dead and out of his reach drove him to attack again. **"Sankon tessou!"** once again, except this time, he followed up the energy blades with his body, running in their wake so that when Hiten thrust them aside again Inuyasha had the chance to follow up. Not even bothering this time with projectile attacks, his claws scored four long tears across Hiten's front. Hiten brought his staff down on Inuyasha's shoulder, but Inuyasha had moved before he could charge it again, clutching his bloodied side. He stumbled over Manten, still lying on the ground, and nearly gagged when he saw the youkai's dead features illuminated clearly for the first time by the wall of blue lightning.

_And_ he_ was the last one to hold her._

Hiten's mad eyes were staring at him, while the thunder youkai's braid flew out behind him in the sudden wind. The staff was crackling with lightning once again, and Inuyasha could see him raising his arm again, preparing to deal what would doubtless be the finishing blow. And Inuyasha was bleeding, and weaponless.

Well… perhaps not quite.

Quickly, he whipped the arm that had been clutching his side forwards—and the blood that had previously been dripping from his fingertips was suddenly glowing a startling red and hurtling towards Hiten's face. **"Hijin kessou!"**

Hiten raised his weapon to block them, startled, and the fire around him faltered. By the time he looked back again, Inuyasha was no longer standing in front of him. Hiten blinked.

"Up here, bastard!" yelled Inuyasha.

Hiten never got the chance to look up. Inuyasha kicked aside the staff and swept both arms down, a single powerful stroke that slammed Hiten into the ground. The thunder youkai let out a startled, choking gasp before falling silent.

By that time the blue flickering that had been forever at the corner of Inuyasha's vision was beginning to fade. He whirled away from Hiten's sagging form, towards the dimming wall of flames—and he could faintly see Kagome's outline.

His rage was gone, replaced by disbelieving numbness. The girl was looking up, her hair whipping above her head as if blown by winds that blasted through the flames. Her face was blurring and refocusing as he stared, a shifting outline amid the chaos of blue and white. Mrs. Akakitsune was standing beside her, curled around a shape that he could only assume to be Shippou.

Kagome was smiling, beginning to look down as her mouth curved. And as she transferred her gaze from the skies to Inuyasha, the hanyou cursed the traitorous eyes that allowed him to see the sadness in that smile. _She's dead… she's already dead and I didn't save her_

Then the fire began to move. He could see the base of it pulling away from the ground, ascending in a new blast of wind.

"Shit!" He threw himself towards Kagome, calling upon every last reserve of strength he had left over from the fight. He cursed again as he lunged through the fire itself, a brief moment that could have been eternity before he finally contacted Kagome.

He tackled her, knocking her backwards and out of the fire. They landed on the ground together, Inuyasha barely managing to turn so that he wouldn't land on top of her—and he had only a second to muse that, for a ghost, she felt remarkably solid, before she sat up and smacked him on the head.

"Idiot!" she said, scrambling hurriedly to her feet. "What did you do that for?"

Inuyasha sat up to see Kagome running towards Mrs. Akakitsune's form. "Wh-what the hell?"

The young mother was shaking, holding her son tightly enough that he was beginning to utter strangled squeaking noises. She was crying.

"It's okay," said Kagome, trying to calm her. She put a hand on the woman's back. "Come on, we should go back inside."

"It's not all right!" said Mrs. Akakitsune, looking up. Inuyasha, who had been halfway to standing up, started upon seeing the expression in her green eyes. It was frighteningly akin to the look Hiten had taken on towards the end of the battle. Mrs. Akakitsune held her son and shook. "My mate is _dead_!"

_Shippou's father?_ Inuyasha blinked. The brat had to have had one, evidently. But… when had this happened? Surely not during the fight—there was no way Inuyasha would have been unobservant enough to not notice a strange man, even a strange man who smelt like Shippou, wandering into range.

"I know," said Kagome soothingly. She took a step in the direction of the house. "We should go inside now, it may not be safe out here." She cast a pleading look at Inuyasha, darting her eyes towards Hiten in an attempt to make him understand, before heading towards the house.

"Keh," said Inuyasha. He dragged himself up the rest of the way, dourly noting the condition of his shirt—completely shredded, wet with melted snow and blood alike. _And she doesn't care…_ He frowned. No that wasn't right. _Well, I don't care either. I just killed a thunder youkai—let's see _anyone_ try to patronize me now!_

No, he certainly didn't care that Kagome was leaving him in favour of helping Mrs. Akakitsune. After all, he was the strong hanyou who won all of his fights; the kitsune was just a woman who'd lost her mate.

Whatever sort of bond that was. He knew about the bonds that could form between mates in any respective species, whether they were human or youkai, but he hardly knew how powerful or weak those bonds might be. Nobody was ever about to let a hanyou get close enough to judge. And his own father had been dead since… well, forever, it seemed.

Inuyasha made his way over to Hiten, stopping when he could look directly down at his enemy. Might as well check how thoroughly he'd done his job…

The sound of a wheezing voice startled him. "You're… a bastard…"

He sneered down at Hiten, who had half-opened bleary red eyes to glare at him. "What? You still alive?"

"If you think… I'd be killed… so easily…" Hiten coughed, and then grinned up at Inuyasha through a mouthful of blood. "You've got another thought… coming…"

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. "I'm about to put you out of your misery, asshole. Don't think much of it."

He raised a hand, tensing his claws so that they cracked threateningly. Hiten closed his eyes and laughed.

"Too bad I'm probably about to… save you the trouble… bastard…" he rasped. "Manten must be lonely…"

"Your stupid brother isn't feeling much of anything where he is now, idiot," said Inuyasha. Hiten opened his eyes again.

"Don't… insult my brother… bastard." His eyes were beginning to glaze over. "Naraku thought he was the best for this job…"

"Keh! Well, obviously he wasn't, idiot, because he _failed_. And so did you." Inuyasha spat his words at the thunder youkai, a brief return of the rage he'd felt earlier fueling his annoyance. "Naraku must be a pretty shitty judge of ability."

He lifted his hand again, about to deliver a finishing blow, and then paused. Hiten's chest had stopped moving.

"About damn time," he muttered, letting his arm drop to his side once more. Following Kagome inside was a very appealing prospect just now—and so he checked on Manten to make sure the youkai was dead as well before heading towards the window.

**:00:00:**

The scenery, while it might have been beautiful at any other point in time, was beginning to grow monotonous. As Miroku found his mind wandering, whether from the lateness or from sheer boredom, he found other things to think about. For instance, the fact that he would soon need to look over his vehicle—there was an odd rhythmic clunking noise coming from the back. And how Mrs. Higurashi, despite her lack of spiritual training, could hide her emotions as well as anyone he'd ever met. And how that bruise, or whatever it was on the palm of his right hand, still didn't seem to have gone away.

Strange, really, how quiet one car ride could be.

_If they turn out to have left again by the time we arrive, I shall hunt down Inuyasha and personally throttle him_, thought Miroku. After all, it wasn't as if they could be in much danger any more... he hadn't felt the Shikon since that moment earlier; and as Kagome was likely the only one who could shield its aura, and the jewel would probably send out another wave of power if she died, the logical deduction was that they weren't in danger.

Set aside for now the fact that Miroku was, once again, using his training to feel for the jewel, for Kagome's shifting aura and Inuyasha's youki; despite all the promises he'd made to both himself and to his father's memory...

Yes, he would kill Inuyasha when he caught up to him. Kagome not so much—she _was_, after all, very pretty.

"Turn right here," said Mrs. Higurashi, gesturing towards a fork in the road. Miroku turned, mentally cursing the distance that was easily twice what he'd originally assumed. Judging by the last couple of days, the hanyou could cover more ground in less time than Miroku's car… even, while barefoot and (most likely) carrying a human girl.

"How close would you say we are, now?" asked Miroku, without looking away from the road.

Mrs. Higurashi thought for a few seconds before replying. "We should be nearly there. Give it another five minutes or so to the outskirts…"

_And then perhaps another ten minutes to find the house… blast, if only there were some way of making telephone calls from cars…_

"Miroku," said Mrs. Higurashi after a minute or so. She sounded edgy again.

"Yes?"

"Do you think… he wouldn't purposely hurt her, would he?"

_Ah… so the reassurance Kagome's telephone call gave her is beginning to wear off…_

"No, Mrs. Higurashi," he said. "Inuyasha may seem to be rude and occasionally violent, but he wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally." _Not badly, anyway. And non-humans, in his view, likely don't count…_

The car lapsed back into relative silence. Again. Miroku resisted the urge to tap him fingers against the steering wheel as he drove, just to break up the sound of slush moving about beneath the tyres. _I shouldn't be so impatient…_ After all, years of training should have taught him better.

…Then again, if certain recent events were to be believed, all the training he'd undergone was for nothing. No, worse than nothing… it was better left unlearned, unknown; it was tainted knowledge.

_Father_…

He forced his mind away from those thoughts fiercely. Later. He would think about it later. When he was ready, and the memories were more than a week old…

"There's Dawn Avenue," said Mrs. Higurashi, and Miroku all but twitched out of his seat. He hadn't even noticed when they'd entered Glennesville; the once-darkened road was now illuminated faintly by intermittent lampposts, and the glimmering reflections of windows marked the presence of buildings where before thee had been just trees.

_Think about the matter at hand. Focus…_ Concentration yielded a surprise. There was youki nearby, and it was unfamiliar.

He turned onto Dawn Avenue, keeping himself outwardly unaffected as he sorted through the sensation. There were multiple youkai at their destination, he realized. Inuyasha's was present, though more subdued than was usual; there were two others, which felt similar somehow. He dismissed the possibility of a fight almost before it even entered his mind, and relaxed subconsciously. All three auras were at rest—whatever was happening to Inuyasha, he was calm, and so were his potential adversaries.

The car's headlights fell upon a mailbox with the number three labeled clearly upon its side. The metal of the container was dented slightly on one side, as if someone had bumped a car into it or kicked it very hard before proceeding. Miroku had already begun the turn by the time Mrs. Higurashi said tersely, "we're here."

Number Three Dawn Avenue turned out to have a rather long driveway, and for some reason, despite the innate calmness of the youki he could feel, a sense of foreboding began to creep over Miroku. He showed none of it outwardly, but when they finally came within sight of the house and Mrs. Higurashi had gotten out of the stopped car, Miroku took a moment to open the glove compartment and reach inside for his ofuda.

He hadn't touched them in days, but they were reassuringly familiar. His right hand, of all things, began to throb as he closed his fingers around a decent-sized handful and fumbled the compartment shut again. It continued to twinge as he stuffed the ofuda into a pocket and left the car—it crossed his mind that perhaps the scraps of thick paper were the cause of it, somehow, but still… better safe than sorry. Without the shakujou he'd been training with for so many years, they were his only weapon.

Mrs. Higurashi had already rung the doorbell by the time he caught up to her. The snow on the ground was churned up with many footprints—had something happened? It was becoming harder to keep his face devoid of emotion, especially after a surreptitious glance around revealed a dark patch nearly hidden by shadows. It could almost have been blood…

The house was smallish, an inconspicuous structure made of red bricks with one square window on either side of an unobtrusive wooden door. Faint light filtered out from behind light greenish curtains, providing some illumination to the clearing in front of the house.

Miroku made sure that he was standing in such a position that he would be able to act immediately, should whatever opened the door turn out to be threatening.

They didn't have to wait long. The door opened and Mrs.Higurashi's eyes widened. The young-seeming red-haired woman who had opened the door looked inordinately happy to see them, mouth already half-open in a joyous call—but that expression didn't last much more than a few seconds.

Rather, it swung to the opposite extreme. Kagome arrived at the doorway just as it seemed that the woman would burst into tears. Smiling quickly at Mrs. Higurashi, she put an arm around the woman's shoulders, drawing her back into the house.

"Come on," she said, retreating further into the home. She looked back over her shoulder to find Miroku blinking at her and Mrs. Higurashi looking confused. "You'd better come in too," she said, almost apologetically.

It didn't take long before half the story—the half that didn't require mention of youkai—was laid out: murderous bandits had killed Mrs. Akakitsune's husband while he was away from the house, and then had come to finish the job by killing those associated with him as well. Inuyasha and Kagome had helped beat them back.

"Where is Inuyasha, anyway?" Miroku had asked, peering around the small living room. It was evident that the hanyou wasn't in that room, but he could definitely feel his friend's youki nearby…

Kagome had looked at the floor. "He… got hurt again, so I bandaged him, but with everything else that's been going on, we didn't want to get blood around the house… so he's staying in the washroom."

_And he agreed to this?_ Perhaps Inuyasha had grown a bit of patience in his absence. Miroku had smiled. _It certainly wouldn't hurt him to be a bit more agreeable…_

Kagome couldn't help but be impressed with Mrs.Akakitsune. She had held together remarkably well, save for her one slip at the door… she'd even lent one of Mr. Akakitsune's old shirts to Inuyasha. Kagome had worried that she would remain in a state of panic after the reality of her 'mate's' death had sunk in, but once the hysteria of the fight had faded she had quite calmly put Shippou to bed, helped Inuyasha clean up, and then sat down to a cup of tea with Kagome in the living room. Together they had concocted the story to tell Kagome's mother

Mrs. Higurashi didn't seem to suspect anything. At the beginning of the story, she had simply looked puzzled, but when she heard of Mr. Akakitsune's fate she suddenly became a lot more talkative. Kagome smiled somewhat sadly as she and Miroku left the room surreptitiously, and the boy glanced at her with curiosity.

"It's… my mum's probably remembering when my father died," she explained quietly. When Miroku opened his mouth to ask something else, she held a finger to her lips.

"Shippou's asleep," she said, in response to a second questioning look.

"Shippou?" said Miroku, making sure to keep his voice low.

Kagome nodded towards the living room, where Mrs. Akakitsune and Mrs. Higurashi were speaking earnestly to one another. "Her son." She smiled. "He's really cute."

"Ah." Miroku hesitated for another moment. "Miss Kagome..." There. It was half out, and he'd have to ask her now or else make a fool of himself. "What exactly occurred here, before your mother and I arrived?"

Kagome glanced at him, puzzled. "Well... uh... Shippou was..."

Miroku shook his head. "No, no... I mean, I felt a surge of power from the Shikon no Tama, earlier. Something must have happened." He fixed his eyes on her profile, perhaps taking just a _little_ bit of time to enjoy the view.

Kagome frowned again, though more in thought than in mere confusion. "Manten..." she said slowly. "He was trying to attack us... I don't really know what happened after that. There was lots of light, and afterwards, Manten was dying."

Miroku nodded.

"I think the Shikon no Tama was protecting me somehow," Kagome continued, no longer quite speaking to Miroku alone. "Maybe it sensed that we were in danger..."

Miroku had his own thoughts on the matter, but that could wait.

Inuyasha was sitting on the edge of the tub in the washroom, keeping one hand pressed against his side. There was blood on his fingers, and some of it had gotten onto the ledge—the streaks of red stood out luridly against the white porcelain. He looked up as Kagome and Miroku entered the washroom through the half-open door.

Miroku took in Inuyasha's less-than-pristine appearance. "Well," he said blandly. "Those bandits certainly did a number on you."

"Shut up, bouzu," said Inuyasha, glaring balefully up at him. He shifted on the ledge, wincing, as Kagome knelt beside him to check on the source of the blood. Pulling the hem of Inuyasha's shirt upwards revealed a hastily-applied bandage running up his side, right beside the still-healing scar from the wound inflicted days before. There was a good deal of blood.

Miroku raised his eyebrows as Inuyasha winced. "I'm surprised, Inuyasha—I wouldn't have imagined that a pair of humans could do this to you."

"Fuck you," said Inuyasha, hands tensing on the ledge of the tub as he tried to keep from clutching at his side again. Kagome was straightening the edges of his bandage, muttering 'sorry!' every time his claws grated against the porcelain. Inuyasha met Miroku's eyes. "It was a pair of youkai, and you damn well know it already, bouzu."

Miroku held up a finger, smiling innocently. "Ah, but there you're wrong. I _suspected_. I didn't _know_ until you told me just now—there is a difference, you see."

Inuyasha closed his eyes. "Shut up."

Kagome patted down the edges of the bandage and stood. "It looks as if it's stopped bleeding," she said, and then bit at her lip. "I do wish we had more gauze, though…"

"Keh!" Inuyasha stood as well, a little stiffly, and lowered his shirt. "It'll heal fast enough, with or without gauze."

Turning, he twisted at one of the knobs on the tub, growling at it when it refused to move. Kagome moved up behind him and pulled his hands away gently, then turned it in the opposite direction. Water began to pour from the faucet, and Kagome, not waiting for Inuyasha to move back into place, sloshed it against the ledge so that it washed away the blood.

Once the rim was clean, she stood up once again and turned to face Miroku. "Uh… Miroku?" she began hesitantly.

"Yes, Miss… ah, Kagome?" said Miroku.

"Do you know anything about disposal of youkai corpses?"

Miroku blinked. "Well… not a lot… why?"

Kagome stared at the ground and fiddled with the hem of her own shirt. "Because… the ones that attacked us are still out back somewhere. I don't want to leave cleaning up to Mrs. Akakitsune by herself…"

Miroku chuckled. "Don't worry about that, Kagome. Youkai corpses don't last long—they tend to dissolve within seconds, with a few exceptions… but they all vanish in the end." He laughed again, as if he hadn't been talking about decaying corpses. _Makes it dreadfully hard to study them._

Kagome considered his words, still fiddling with a loose thread. "So… those youkai that were fighting us earlier today… they'll all be gone by the time we get back?"

Miroku nodded. "Most likely, yes. Unless they're a good deal stronger than they seemed."

"All right." Kagome took hold of Inuyasha's arm and smiled weakly at Miroku. "We'd still probably better check, though, right?

"If you don't want to, Miss Kagome, Inuyasha and I would be happy to go on our own," Miroku told her.

Inuyasha shot him a dour, vaguely disgusted look.

"Oh, no, I'll do it," said Kagome quickly, hoping to reassure them. _They don't think I'm afraid to, do they?_ Perhaps it was a bit… distasteful… but she didn't like to think of herself as squeamish.

Well, maybe sometimes. But only around worms, and it was too cold for worms.

As luck would have it, the youkai-dissolving rule didn't apply to clothes.

**:00:00:**

The records of the inner city told of a city flooded with light, even at nighttime. Whether streetlamps, or light from storefront windows, even the small residential roads always had at least semi-decent illumination right up until the small hours of the morning, and even then it was never pitch-black.

After the fire that had reduced the central Archives to smoking rubble, there was precious else known about that time period—except for the fact that it was long over. Main roadways were lit until about three a.m, but beyond that, the streetlamps went out. By that time, the residential streets tended to have already been reduced to obscurity—power, after all, was rather expensive; even more so now that Sarushiro Tono had cut down on the funding for those services.

It was not at all difficult for those engaged in shady dealings to find themselves a headquarters of some sort. People tended not to care what other people did, in the city.

But then again, ease no longer mattered. The Core, the only real source of trouble for the city's criminal element, had been effectively removed—operatives had already been sent to the houses of any Core Taijiya who had been excluded from the rout, to fill them in on what they'd missed in a rather physical manner. Soon the only law enforcement within the city would be the police… and they were hardly a threat.

The plans were proceeding quite nicely. Next step was to boost morale again—reassure the minions that they were, after all, on the right side if they wanted power. Naraku needed something to do this… some extravagant gesture that would prove it; some way of thumbing his metaphorical nose at any who would oppose him.

The plans were proceeding quite nicely. Next step was to boost morale again—reassure the minions that they were, after all, on the right side if they wanted power. Naraku needed something to do this… some extravagant gesture that would prove it; some way of thumbing his metaphorical nose at any who would oppose him.

So, he chose the logical course of action: he took over the old Core.

**:0: **

"Sir?" said Byakuya, bringing Naraku's attention languidly back to the pair in front of him. The effeminate young man stood just in front of his younger-seeming companion, a small pale girl who was, despite her age, one of Naraku's best operatives. The basement was cloaked in darkness, but her white clothing stood out clearly—light grey, against the welling blackness behind her and Byakuya.

"Be silent," said Naraku, turning his thoughts once again to the matter at hand. After a few more moments had gone by, filled with nothing but silence, he leaned back in his seat and narrowed his eyes. "Have you heard anything else?"

"No, sir," said Byakuya, watching him with a faint smile. It was very likely that the boy could see Naraku clearly through the darkness; given that he was a youkai, it was far from impossible. Byakuya gestured towards the small girl, indicating the round mirror she held loosely in both hands. "Neither Hiten nor Manten has sent word. Kanna here believes that they are dead."

"Tell me their last-known whereabouts," said Naraku.

"A small town called Glennesville," said Byakuya promptly. He appeared to have prepared his answers already; there was a rehearsed smoothness to his responses. "They were approaching the home of their subject."

Naraku's eyes narrowed further, though his expression betrayed little besides mild distaste. "So they failed in their mission."

"No, sir," said Byakuya. "They completed the mission—they were on their way to…" here he paused "apprehend the rest of the subject's family. Something would seem to have prevented that."

"Ah." Naraku thought for a few more moments, while Byakuya smiled and Kanna waited impassively. Kanna's bespelled mirror could only reflect the actions of those she had seen with her own eyes, and then only if she knew roughly where they were. If Hiten and Manten were truly dead, so was her usefulness in this affair, for the moment at least.

"Byakuya," he said at last.

The young youkai looked up. "Yes, sir?"

"Go to the home. Do not take any action—do not allow yourself to be seen. When you have determined the truth, return here."

Byakuya inclined his head slightly, then turned to leave. Kanna remained, watching Naraku with her blank, pale eyes. He ignored her, instead turning his thoughts to the news he had just received.

_Glennesville…_ The news was certainly interesting, to say the least. He knew the name of that town. But where…

A slow smile crossed his face as Kanna continued to watch him. Glennesville, if he was at all correct, was roughly where he'd last sensed the jewel... It was nice to know that the young Taijiya has been the correct choice. Whoever was currently possessing the jewel was strong enough to take down two relatively powerful youkai... and pure, which meant that it was human. Another human would stand a better chance against such a foe than a youkai of any sort—and so long as he had the boy, the Taijiya's loyalty would be unquestioning.

Thoughts of this could wait for later, however. He still had another plan waiting to be executed.

"Kanna," he said.

The young youkai girl kept her eyes trained on his, perfectly expressionless. She made no noise to indicate that she'd heard him... but then again, she never did.

"Fetch me the telephone," he told her. Kanna turned away and moved to the back recesses of the darkened room. The bright colour of her white dress stood out less sharply the farther away she moved, and then came back into focus as she moved closer. Against its paleness the darkness seemed to swirl, shadows coming alive and struggling to absorb the only disturbance in its uniform blackness. Which was in itself an odd concept—there was nothing to absorb, really. Kanna, after all, was nothingness personified.

She approached Naraku's seat and held out a smallish rectangular telephone—newest of the inventions he'd commissioned. It was technology he himself had gleefully held back from the rest of the world, some hundred years earlier in his previous incarnation. And with it, he could make a call from anywhere.

Naraku picked it up, still smirking.

It was time to have another chat with the wind witch.

**:00:00:**

So... two things have happened since the last chapter. (And no, I don't mean within the story... if I meant within the story I'd have to cut that number down to zero point two...dumb writer's block).

First: This is the one-year anniversary of this story... it was exactly one year ago that I published it. I feel all special now...

Second: _Winter_ was also nominated by the Inuyasha FanGuild for Best Characterization (For Miroku)! I didn't win, but the fact that I was even nominated in the first place makes me rather happy. So, thanks to any and all who were involved in that... It's nice to know that people liked it enough to consider nominating it.

And so, here there be chapter. And, at last, they're (partway to) getting back out of the deep countryside... and the plot stumbles back onto its shaky feet and plods along doggedly (heh heh... terrible pun when speaking of IY fics), towards its inevitable conclusion... One more note, actually:

Just a reminder that there are no widely-available cellphones in this world. It's different from the canon... and that happens to be one of the differences (although come to think of it, the cast of IY didn't seem to big on cellulars in the first place... what with the whole 'Sengoku Jidai' thing...)


	18. Webs

**Chapter 18**

Kagura woke up to the sound of the telephone ringing again. Sitting up on the couch, she groaned faintly.

There was only one person who could be calling her, and the thought that she would have to follow his orders yet again made her groan aloud as she sat up on the couch. "Ugh…" _And I just finished a task for him, too…asshole. So kidnapping the boy wasn't enough, then?_ Standing, she crossed the room to the shrilly ringing telephone and picked it up. "Yes, sir?"

"I have another task for you, Kagura." The deep voice was dry and emotionless, doubly so for the terrible sound quality, yet she felt almost as if he were standing just behind her— doubtless smirking at her back.

"Oh?"

"You have been keeping up with the news, yes?"

"Of course." It was her link to the outside world, after all—the world he'd pulled her from, and the one she would be returning to with all due speed the moment his grip on her slackened.

"You are aware that Genken Tankyuusha is coming into the city in two days time, then?"

Kagura frowned, leaning against the wall. _Tankyuusha… that foreign businessman? _But Naraku was continuing, and she had to listen. "You will meet with him then. I will send you instructions on what to do tomorrow."

And then, with a faint clicking noise, the connection cut off. Kagura stared down at the receiver in her hand. _In a bad mood today, is he?_

**:00:00:**

Sango leaned forward on Kirara's back, looking straight ahead. Perhaps she was scanning the treetops for hints of her destination… but more than that, she was trying to avoid looking at her escort.

The two flying youkai—_harpies?_—were exactly the sort of thing she would have been instructed to kill, an eternity ago, back when she'd still had a life. Back when she'd still had a family, and a purpose she believed in. Less than a day ago, she wouldn't even have considered this.

She was too numb at the moment to truly feel the aching shame that seemed to permeate her entire being. Sometime near the beginning of the trip, the thought had crossed her mind, _I'm acting as a puppet for some youkai_… But there was little she could do besides follow where they pointed her, even when she just _knew_ that this couldn't end well.

But there was no choice in the matter. Kohaku would die if she failed to retrieve the Shikon no Tama, and she would not allow that to happen—even if it meant giving in to Naraku for the moment. _I have to get him back. I have to. If I don't… if I don't, that's where it all ends._

She realized somewhat belatedly that one of the two youkai that formed her escort had stopped in midair and was gesturing at the ground with a clawed hand. Looking down, she could see a mass of leafless tree branches, with a number of small roofs nestled amongst them.

Houses. A town. _We must be there_.

**:00:00:**

"Mum?" said Kagome softly, peering around the doorway into the living room. Mrs. Higurashi looked over at her.

"Yes, dear?"

"We're all ready to go now. If you think it's time…"

"Oh!" Mrs. Higurashi stood up. "Yes… I think we'd better leave. If Grandpa and Souta wake up they might get worried." She smiled apologetically at Mrs. Akakitsune. "Do you think you're all right now?"

"Oh, yes," said the younger woman. She'd been crying recently, Kagome could tell by the redness around of her eyes, but the smile she offered Mrs. Higurashi in return was genuine. "You should get back to your own family. Don't let me stop you."

Kagome wondered briefly about what they had been talking about while she, Miroku and Inuyasha had been disposing of the Thunder Brothers' clothes. The conversation must have gone fairly well—or at least, both women seemed to be in better spirits.

Granted, 'better' for Mrs. Akakitsune just meant that she no longer seemed to be in shock, but given what had just occurred, more could hardly be expected.

"Remember," said Mrs. Higurashi, looking down at Mrs. Akakitsune as she stood up, "you can call me if you want to talk again. Or if Shippou wants to play—he should meet Souta sometime."

Mrs. Akakitsune nodded and stood as well. "Thank you." She walked with her to the door of the living room, where Kagome was waiting with Miroku and Inuyasha. "Will you be driving?"

"Of course," said Mrs. Higurashi.

"Be careful, then," said Mrs. Akakitsune. "The roads can be dangerous this late… and it's icy."

Miroku laughed. "Well, with my driving skills, we shouldn't have to worry."

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh! With you at the wheel, I'd think we'd have to worry _more_."

"Anyway," said Mrs. Higurashi, before Miroku could protest, "we'd best be going now. It _is_ very late."

Mrs. Akakitsune smiled. "Of course."

**:00:00:**

"Look up, human," said one of the youkai. "They're coming."

Listlessly, Sango looked up through the trees which were providing them with sparse cover. The door had opened, and the people who were, presumably, her intended targets, began to leave the house. A forty-something woman, a young man with dark hair… _Innocents, all of them. Why…?_

"A youkai?" The larger of the pair forming her escort stared intently at the still-open doorway as the silver-haired youth emerged. "We weren't told that—"

"Never mind who's with them," replied the other youkai, in a voice like the crunching of gravel. "The girl has the jewel—we have to get it."

The door to the house was closed.

Sango started forwards as they did, pulling out Hiraikotsu and heading straight for the silver-haired youkai, keeping to the trees as long as possible. It was obvious that the small group was not expecting any sort of attack—the girl was laughing, and even her own target seemed at ease. The guilt was becoming harder to suppress. _If I can get the jewel without attacking the humans…_

Miroku had just pulled open the door to the driver's seat when Sango and her two escorts burst from the forest.

**:0:**

Kagome hadn't noticed the youki of the two intruders until it was too late—having been distracted by the presence of the Akakitsunes, her only consolation was that Inuyasha and Miroku were as surprised as she was.

"Hand over the Shikon no Tama, girl!" roared a monster that seemed to be a mixture of round, brown-feathered bird and human torso, heading straight towards Kagome.

Mrs. Higurashi screamed, and Inuyasha swore and lunged forwards to stop the creature, only to find himself confronted by a third attacker—what seemed like a human girl, wearing a mask and some sort of skintight leathery material. He ducked a blow from her weapon, a giant boomerang which seemed fully as large as she was, and stared at her in confusion. _She smells human…_

Kagome dodged her attacker, running sideways and away from the car, while Miroku slammed the door shut and ran to engage, or at least distract, the other bird-monster.

"What are those _things_!" shrieked Mrs. Higurashi, drawing his attention away from the girl. This was a mistake, as she immediately swung again, forcing him to move back another leap.

_Shit… why'd Kagome's mother have to be here now?_ He thought furiously. _If she figures it out… this will get her in so much trouble…_ "Miroku!" he yelled. "Get to the woods!"

Miroku nodded and lashed out at his opponent once again, enraging it further, and when the dark-haired boy ran for the woods, it followed him.

Now Inuyasha was left in the clearing with Kagome, Mrs. Higurashi, and two of the attackers. "Get inside the house!" he yelled to the woman, glaring at her.

Inuyasha moved as if about to run sideways, and when the masked human tried to intercept him, he knocked her feet out from under her and jumped over her to Kagome, who was still running from her attacker. He grabbed her by the shoulders, ignoring the continued shrieks of Mrs. Higurashi, and took another flying leap. This time he landed in the branches of a tree a good few yards into the woods, leaving himself temporarily with enough visibility to see the door to the house opening as Mrs. Akakitsune opened it for the now-hysterical Mrs. Higurashi.

He'd been right, then—the youkai didn't even waste a second to look at the two older women, instead following Inuyasha and Kagome deeper into the woods.

Inuyasha set Kagome down on the branch and swept his hands swiftly over her body, eliciting a shocked yelp as she slapped his hands away. "What are you _doing_?"

"Where's the Shikon no Tama?" he asked her hurriedly, looking quickly behind himself. The youkai and the human girl would likely be following quickly, though the trees were slowing them, as he'd also anticipated. "They're after it. If you give it to me, they'll stop chasing you."

She stared at him, causing him to grow impatient. "Where is it? We don't have much time."

"You… you're going to leave?" Her voice sounded much smaller than she'd meant it to. _Waitaminit… that's not what I meant to say…_

"I have to, idiot! They're after the—"

The branch they were on dipped abruptly as the first flying youkai landed on it, glaring at them with jaundiced eyes and trying to shuffle its way forward. "Hand over the jewel, female!"

The branch, brittle from the cold of winter, made an ominous creaking noise where it met the tree, and Inuyasha grabbed Kagome again and jumped off.

"What if when you have it you just… just… kill me and run away, or something? How do I know you don't have base motives?" she yelled into his ear, over the sound of the wind.

"Because you've fucking well scared me enough times already tonight," he yelled back, suddenly furious. He hit the ground, feet sinking into the snow, and started running deeper into the forest. "I'm not going to keep saving you only to let you die in the end, understand? So shut up!"

A whistling noise from behind alerted Inuyasha to the boomerang-weapon of the human girl, at the same time distracting him from Kagome's startled words. He whirled and knocked the projectile away with one hand, shifting Kagome to his back at the same time. Miroku yelled nearby, and Kagome turned her head to look while Inuyasha squared off with his two approaching opponents.

Miroku had stuffed what looked like a small rectangle of white paper with scribbles on it onto the forehead of the monster he was fighting. A flash of whitish lightning held Kagome's gaze as the monster suddenly screamed in pain. It grew more intense as Miroku put his hands together near his chest, steepling his index fingers. She could see his mouth moving, too… and she realized suddenly that she could feel it, too—like youki, almost.

Sudden vertigo brought her attention back to Inuyasha's battle. The boomerang had spun itself back to its owner, which would likely be a problem soon, but in the meantime the bird-youkai had reached them, and Inuyasha was moving again.

"Let me down," she said.

"No," he said curtly. "You're too slow on your own."

"You can't fight like this!" She let go of him and tried to move away. He bent an arm around her waist, holding her in place.

"Stop moving, dammit!"

"Inuyasha!" She brought a fist down on his shoulder in frustration, even as he dodged the bird-monster's descending talons.

Miroku ran up beside them, having reduced one youkai to ash. For some reason, he was smiling. Almost as if he found their argument amusing. "Need help?"

"Of course not," snapped Inuyasha.

Kagome pointed over his shoulder towards the girl, who was closer now, boomerang in hand. "She's going to throw that thing again!"

Miroku looked over, and his eyes widened abruptly. The smile broadened. "I'll take care of it."

Kagome blinked, trying to decipher his expression, while Inuyasha snorted. "Pervert." But there was little time for distraction—the bird was in front of them.

"Give me the jewel, cur!"

Inuyasha jumped again, but the bird had apparently caught on to his strategy—which was, admittedly, a rather bad one to use against a flying opponent. The bird flew up in front of him, scrabbling with its claws, and he barely managed to dodge.

"Put me down!" Kagome said again.

"No!"

Kagome sighed, and Inuyasha thought that perhaps she'd finally given up. _Good thing too, dammit… if she starts running around on her own, she'll just end up gored. And she might not have as good luck as last time…_

Suddenly she leaned over sideways. "Miroku!"

The dark-haired boy looked up from his fight. "Yes?"

"Catch!"

It took Inuyasha a moment to understand the import of her words. "Idiot!" He grabbed her hand as she pulled the jewel out of her pocket. The bird crowed with delight and he snarled at it, clawing its chest with his free hand. "**Sankon tessou!** Fuck…"

He ran through the snow, stopping beside Miroku, and let go of Kagome's legs at last. She tumbled off his back, narrowly avoided landing on her face, and shoved the jewel at Miroku.

He almost dropped it while he stared at her, slack-jawed. "Wh-why…"

"You can handle it. You've got some sort of powers, right?"

He gaped at her. "Er…"

"Look out!"

The boomerang dealt him a glancing blow to the shoulder as he ducked to one side. Inuyasha jumped up over his head, attempting to knock the youkai bird out of the air, while the masked girl resettled her boomerang and glared at Miroku.

Or more specifically, at the jewel in his hand.

Which, as he continued to look at her, had begun to acquire a slightly darker tinge of pink.

The masked girl tilted her head back and called out. "Kirara!"

An orange glow suddenly burst from the trees to his left, and Miroku yelped and threw himself sideways into the snow as an immense catlike youkai, flames wreathing its body, jumped out. The masked girl grabbed onto one side of its thick mane and leaped atop it, to sit just behind its shoulderblades.

"Shit," said Inuyasha. _I'll have to…_"Shit. Dammit! Miroku! Come on!"

He lunged for Kagome, lifting her onto his shoulder, and then ran back towards the Akakitsune's house, hardly sparing a glance to see whether Miroku followed. It took mere seconds to reach the car, despite the trees he had put between it and himself. Mrs. Higurashi was standing near the car with Mrs. Akakitsune, and Inuyasha deposited Kagome in front of them, setting her down as gently as possible despite his rush. Mrs. Higurashi gave a short yelp and grabbed at her daughter, tears streaming down her face.

Miroku emerged from the trees some moments later, the remaining bird-youkai and the masked girl with her firecat hot on his heels.

"What are you—" Mrs. Higurashi began, incensed.

"We're leaving," said Inuyasha.

"Wait, my car!" exclaimed Miroku, suddenly reaching for his pocket.

"Leave it!" said Inuyasha.

"What on earth is—"

"No, my keys," muttered Miroku. He pulled them out of his pocket and threw them towards Mrs. Higurashi. "Take my car!" He yelled as Inuyasha grabbed him by the waist and took off once again.

"You can't just leave now!" screamed Mrs. Higurashi, her hand fisting in her daughter's hair.

Miroku waved the jewel slightly, allowing the light to catch it, and watched with satisfaction as the bird-youkai and the girl on the firecat followed them over the trees.

**:00:00:**

Wow. I probably made more mistakes in this chapter than I did during any other… plotholes do NOT taste any better late at night than they do early in the morning. And wow am I ever glad I have a beta to catch the more glaring errors (not to say that there may not still be some, since I'm a lazy fool right now).

This chapter does make an excellent starting point for a rousing game of Spot the Cliché, though.

Anyway. I changed Winter's category from romance to Action/Adventure with Romance as the subgenre, because I suppose that having an end goal of 'Inuyasha and Kagome end up together' isn't quite enough to render the entire plot fundamentally romantic.

A question that may arise: 'why on earth didn't Inuyasha notice the intruders?' My lazy answer is that he was distracted by the whole blood-loss, possible-concussion, Kagome-keeps-forgetting-me-in-the-bathroom thing. Mm… lazy….

Oh, and she forgot him in the bathroom because she honestly didn't realize that he'd been afraid for her life. It'll be addressed in-text in at least the next couple of chapters—I'm just stating it here too because I don't know when the next chapter will be. My track record, it is suffering! D:

Uh… sorry about the late. I have no excuse. I'm just a bad person.


	19. Travel

**Chapter 19**

"Stop moving like that!" snapped Inuyasha, wishing he could reach around and cuff his passenger.

"I take it this is as uncomfortable for you as it is for me?" said Miroku blandly, trying to shift his legs so that he wasn't aggravating the hanyou's wounds.

"Yes, idiot!" Inuyasha hissed sharply as he tried to turn his head. "Tell me where they are—I can't see anything." He could hear the voice of the bird-youkai, though—the thing was bawling at them, probably about handing over the jewel. He thought he heard 'life' in there somewhere too…

Miroku brought his head up and looked quickly behind himself, checking on the position of their pursuers. Almost immediately he turned back and huddled closer to Inuyasha, as if hoping to make himself more aerodynamic. "Shit. They're close."

"Shit," echoed Inuyasha. "How close?"

"Another thirty seconds and we'll be caught," said Miroku grimly. The girl's firecat was fast, the bird-youkai equally so; and Inuyasha, while fast, was not built for the air.

"I'm going into the trees," said Inuyasha. "You ready, bouzu?"

"I should hope so."

Miroku had barely finished uttering the sentence before they were shooting through tree branches rather than sky. "Watch out!" he shouted as a particularly large bough nearly caught his head, though he ducked to avoid it. The air surrounding them suddenly filled with small brittle twigs, then emptied again a second later, leaving Miroku with arms covered in tiny scratches and a good deal of irritation.

The trees were still hurtling by, and so rather than saying something he instead hunched over again—this time for the definite purpose of making a smaller target to the trees.

Two loud crunching noises behind them heralded the arrival of the cat and the bird. Inuyasha swore again and landed, staggering a few steps forward before turning abruptly and allowing Miroku to slide off his back.

The trees were creaking all about them, as if in the midst of a gust of wind, and small branches were still falling to the ground. For a moment, Miroku was certain that he could hear the sound of a car in the distance. All of three seconds passed in this relative calm, and then the latticework of branches above them burst open again.

The bird-youkai hit the snow and then began flapping its wings, trying awkwardly to propel itself back into the air while shrieking something about the jewel. Inuyasha, however, seemed to have been prepared for that—he leapt forward, cutting off its words with a yell of "**Sankon tessou**!" and another burst of that peculiar energy.

That left the girl. Miroku sighed as the catlike youkai landed on the ground a few feet away, allowing her to slide off its back. If he didn't have the jewel, he could have been the one to take her on, but alas…

Inuyasha leaped forwards, his focus shifting smoothly to her. The eyes behind the mask scanned the area quickly, taking in the rapidly-disintegrating corpse of the bird-youkai, and then she jumped back a step and threw the giant boomerang again. "Hiraikotsu!"

Inuyasha, tired of dodging, tried to knock it away and yelped as he made contact. The boomerang clattered to the ground and he glared at the girl, rubbing at his arm. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"I don't need to tell you anything, youkai!" snarled the girl, looking over at Miroku. "He has the jewel, doesn't he."

"You're not getting anywhere near it, girl!" Inuyasha snarled back.

"We'll see about that—" Suddenly she had leaped towards Miroku. Inuyasha, drawing upon his demonic heritage, seemed to appear in front of her, readying another slash with his claws, and she twisted smoothly away.

Miroku jumped away and found himself facing the catlike youkai. He eyed it with a sort of grim resignation. _Drat… I should have engaged the girl while I had the chance…_He pulled out an ofuda, eyed the youkai some more, and then pulled out another two.

The creature snarled and began a lunge, only to be brought up short by the three ofuda, which sparked as they made contact with its forehead. Miroku blinked as, rather than freezing, the youkai instead began to shrink. The end result of this was a tiny creature with two tails, surrounded by the fading bluish sparks of Miroku's ofuda.

"Kirara!" shouted the girl, eyes wide above her mask before Inuyasha distracted her with another attack. Miroku, having ceased to feel endangered, was watching the shifting curve of her waist when he felt an ominous pulse of power somewhere near his hand.

He swallowed hard, tearing his eyes away from the attacker's lithe figure in time to see the jewel darken slightly once again, acquiring a deeper pink tone that, curiously enough, nearly matched the blush on his face.

"Dammit, bouzu, don't do that!" Inuyasha yelled over his shoulder, fangs flashing.

"It's not as if I'm able to prevent it," Miroku called back, unable to keep all of the irritation out of his voice as he struggled to clear his mind of any… impure thoughts. It was more difficult than usual—but then again, when was the last time he'd seen such a girl?

Well, there was Kagome, of course, but he had the feeling that Inuyasha would murder him if he dared indicate any sort of interest.

"Well then _try_," snarled Inuyasha. "It's fucking annoying!"

Sango ran for Hiraikotsu suddenly, managing to grab it before Inuyasha could make a move. She had watched the debate with rising frustration—now, however, she was verging on desperate. The silver-haired youkai was strong—probably _too_ strong, and while she was dodging him fairly well now, she couldn't keep it up as long as he could.

Naraku had to have known this. Had he really put any stock in her being able to get the Shikon jewel?

The silver-haired youkai was moving towards her once again.

She was the last of the Taijiya, save for Kohaku, who was already in Naraku's clutches. Her chest felt hollow and cold as she realized…

_It would be best for Naraku if I died, here and now. Does he even… was I ever supposed to succeed?_

_Bastard_!

Putting the full force of her anger behind the strike, she yelled as she swung the Hiraikotsu in a smooth arc, her arms moving in a blur that even she couldn't follow. It caught Inuyasha near the waist and knocked him aside, and Miroku yelped as his attention was redirected forcefully to the battle.

Sango lunged for the dark-haired man, only to be brought up short by a hand around her wrist. She let out a cry of dismay, reaching for the man and the jewel, but something hit the back of her head hard enough to send her mind reeling into darkness.

Miroku blinked, watching as the girl slumped into Inuyasha's arms. "You sure you should have done that?" he said mildly.

"What? Oh, this?" Inuyasha looked down at his fist, and then after a few seconds, opened his hand, displaying five long and decidedly sharp claws.

Miroku sighed.

**:00:00:**

Kagome idly watched the forest going by. She wished that the awful sadness that had settled over her would go away, so that she could be properly angry. After all, Inuyasha and Miroku had run off on their own, without telling anyone anything. She and her mother had waited at the Akakistune's for what seemed like hours but which might as well have been seconds—neither Inuyasha nor Miroku showed up, and continued to not show up, until Mrs. Higurashi decided that enough was enough, and resolved to leave.

_I should be fuming,_ Kagome thought drearily. Trees, illuminated by the headlights of Miroku's car, seemed to emerge from the darkness, looming into view before they whipped past. Mrs. Higurashi was driving very fast—_she_ was angry.

Kagome felt like crying.

**:00:00:**

Byakuya wrinkled his nose in vague disgust as he made a wide circle around the house. _I hate missions like this_…

He could feel the youki of the remaining two members of the Akakitsune family; they were wary now, alerted to danger by the death of Mr. Akakitsune—wait, that was only partially right. Whatever had happened after that had definitely not been easy either; he discovered the dissolved remains on Hiten and Manten strewn through the snow, with their clothes lying about, and had detected faint traces of more youkai in the air as he flew towards them on his giant paper crane. Naraku's touch was evident everywhere.

He hadn't been sent to fight anyone, just to discern the truth, and this made him glad, for it meant he didn't have to follow the traces of Naraku's birdlike legionaries, who were probably sent to fetch the jewel or some such nonsense.

So, what was the truth of the matter here?

He brushed dust off Hiten's still-intact armour, inspecting it. The garment was torn and stained with blood, most—if not all—of which seemed to belong to the newly deceased youkai. Some of the tears looked like claw marks, meaning that the opponent had been a youkai.

But it hadn't been any member of the Akakitsune family. Byakuya stared at it for several more moments, trying to feel out the youki of whoever had done it, and received only puzzlement in return. At length he sighed, putting the thing back down, and moved on to Manten's remains.

This time the reaction was immediate. As soon as he went to touch them, the spot he'd been aiming to grab flashed with a bright white light, a bolt of it reaching out and stinging his outstretched hand. He frowned down at it, rubbing his hand where it had touched him, and then looked up suddenly as a light was turned on inside the house.

_Okay, long enough!_ He conjured up his crane within seconds, and by the time Mrs. Akakitsune could make it to the window he was already gone.

**:00:00:**

It didn't take long for Sango to wake up again. It was still just as dark as it had been when Inuyasha hit her—the night was cloudless, allowing the thin sliver of moon and the surrounding stars to fill the barren woods with weak, thready silver light.

Miroku immediately put a hand over her mouth, the mask having been removed. They had discovered that they were indeed close to a road, which was good in that they had a route out of the woods—but it was also bad, in that if she screamed loud enough, someone might hear.

She didn't scream. She looked up at Miroku, her eyes blank and her expression dull. She had lost, after all. What recourse did she have now? He was holding down both of her wrists with his other hand. Kirara, unconscious and in her smaller form, was lying on top of the Hiraikotsu, out of the snow, for which Sango supposed she should be thankful.

"Hello," said Miroku, while Inuyasha leaned against a tree and tried to look disinterested rather than tired. "If I take my hands away, will you try to escape?"

She shook her head slightly to convey that no, she would not.

Miroku smiled and sat back on his heels, taking his hands away. "This is better," he said pleasantly. "It seemed such a shame to fight a beautiful woman like you."

Sango flushed, sitting up slowly. _What the..._

"Anyway, I have a few questions to ask you," Miroku asked her. He waited until she had met his eyes before continuing. "Beginning with… well, I suppose I already have the answer now, but I may as well make sure… you aren't planning to continue fighting, are you?"

"No," said Sango softly. It would be useless now, even if she had wanted to in the first place. Not to mention, it was obvious that she would just lose.

"Oh, good!" He seemed genuinely happy, more than simply pleased with this admission. "Now then… what's your name?" The smile became a bit more personal.

"Uh… Sango," she said cautiously, watching his face. _What is with this guy…?_

"Ah, such a lovely name…" he sighed. Inuyasha growled faintly from where he was leaning against the tree, causing Sango to jump.

"Get back to the point, pervert."

Miroku sighed again. "Yes, yes…" He looked back at Sango. "Anyway, I was hoping you could tell us why you came out here to fight us. I had some suspicions about your motives from the start… since you aren't resisting now, I suppose they're just being confirmed."

Sango blinked at him, startled. _He's… perceptive. _She didn't know whether this was good or bad for her current situation. Abruptly she remembered the question and flushed again, looking down at her hands in her lap. "N-no… I was told to take the jewel by a man named Naraku."

There was a long moment of silence. Sango chanced to look up again. Miroku had frozen in place, staring at her intently, and Inuyasha had stiffened against his tree.

"Did you say… Naraku?" said Miroku at last. Inuyasha twitched again, leaning away from the tree.

"_You've_ heard of him too, bouzu?" he said incredulously.

"You don't mean to say that _you_ have?" Miroku shot back.

Inuyasha grunted, leaning back against the tree. "Hiten—one of the demons that was attacking the Akakitsunes—said he was sent by someone named Naraku," he said. "Other than that, no, I've never heard the name in my life."

"This is peculiar," said Miroku, putting a hand to his chin as he thought. "The name is familiar to me as well…"

"He's a demon," said Sango, suddenly eager to tell them everything. "He's in charge of an underground movement, back in the city… he blew up the Taijiya Core, and he… he has my brother."

There was another brief silence, broken by Miroku whistling softly. "So that's why you were after us… He's going to kill your brother?"

"Y-yes…" said Sango, biting her lip and looking down at her hands again. It took everything she had not to allow herself to cry. _He probably already has… Kohaku…I'll… never see him again…_

"I'm sorry," said Miroku softly, and when Sango looked up again, he truly seemed to mean it. The easy grin had slipped off his face.

"You should leave," said Sango. She put her arms around herself, sitting up in the snow. "It's cold out."

"You're right," said Miroku. He stood up, brushing snow off his front, and then stretched a hand out to her. When Sango merely stared at it for a few moments, he waggled it slightly in front of her face. "Well, come on then," he said, smiling. Inuyasha watched silently from the tree.

Sango took his hand and allowed him to help her up, still confused. Miroku hadn't gotten more than a few feet away before he turned again to look back at her. "Well? Aren't you coming?"

Sango tried not to gape blankly. "But I… I was trying to kill you earlier."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you want us to leave you behind?"

Inuyasha tapped a clawed finger against his elbow, having crossed his arms. "You know, Miroku, we ought to have started walking a few minutes ago."

Miroku waved a hand at him, keeping his attention on Sango. "Well?"

Sango dropped her gaze to the snow, blushing again. She wasn't sure whether to feel ashamed, upset, or… glad. "If you're sure you wouldn't mind me coming along," she said softly.

Miroku clapped his hands together. "Excellent!"

Inuyasha snorted, a dim realization coming to him. "So long as we even know where we're going, bouzu."

"Of course I know where we're going!" said Miroku, feigning affront. "There's a road nearby, I heard the traffic. The only issue I can see is how we'll get you to into anyone's car…"

**:00:00:**

Flecks of slush flew through the air behind the yellow car, coating the underside of the rear bumper with soft brown frost and obscuring the license plate. The engine made a whining noise as it slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road, much to the apparent delight of the three figures standing at the edge of the road.

Kiyoaki Taru, the driver, blinked as he took in the sight of his soon-to-be passengers, mentally making a note not to stop for hitchhikers in future, especially when he couldn't see them clearly in the dim light of his single working headlight until after he'd stopped. _I'm too old for any sort of shenanigans…_

Then again, chances were that on a night like this, he would continue to do it regardless, because no one deserved to be stranded in such cold.

There was a young man, who looked pleasant enough, smiling at him through the window with tired cheer; a pretty dark-haired girl who was clasping some sort of small furred… thing, and had a giant curved shape slung across her back; and some anonymous person standing beside her, hunched over in its jacket and with some sort of scarf-like thing covering its head and face.

The boy whose waving gestures had led Taru to pull over in the first place was already moving forward, and Taru had to twist himself over in his set to open the door. The young man got in, along with a brief gust of chilled air. The yellow, flickering overhead light cast strange shadows across his eyes.

"Sorry to inconvenience you," he said, his dark eyes earnest and pleading. "Our car broke down on some little road in the middle of nowhere, and we'd have had a hard time trying to find transportation there."

"Where are you heading?" asked Taru, eyeing the other two, who hadn't taken so much as a step towards the car.

"Anywhere that we can find help," said the boy.

"Well, I'm going into the city," said Taru. "If you're going in that general direction, it's fine, but I can't take you past."

"That would be perfect." And the boy smiled.

"What's your name?" asked Taru as his passenger turned around and gestured towards the other two.

"Miroku," said Miroku, getting up briefly to help stuff the large oblong that the girl had been carrying over behind the back seats. "And this is Sango, and this is… uh… Shari."

The anonymous figure who had been getting into the car twitched, and looked up briefly to glare at Miroku. Taru caught sight of delicate, effeminate features and hastily-lowered eyes beneath long lashes before 'Shari' took the seat directly behind him and was obscured by the angle and the shadows that already filled the car. _Two girls? This Miroku must be quite the lady's man…_

Sango followed her companion, handling her small, beige-furred bundle carefully, and Miroku settled in last, closing the door behind himself and buckling the seatbelt. Taru restarted the engine, waited until the single headlight had flared back to life, and then started off again.

Inuyasha made a faint noise of disgust—_Shari?_—and lowered his back gingerly until he was leaning against the back of his seat, remaining stiff. He didn't trust himself to get comfortable, on the one hand, in case he fell asleep and by default became vulnerable; on the other hand, he definitely didn't want to risk an experience similar to his first time in a car…

He stared out the window, willing himself to think about something and take his mind off this predicament, and flushed with horror to realize that his traitorous thoughts had swung back around to Kagome.

_Damn it!_ He closed his eyes, almost as if it would make a difference, but still could see her grey eyes. She looked just as she had the last time he'd seen her—angry, and terrified. Worse yet, when he tried to turn his thoughts away he only remembered more—including a fuzzy recollection of lying with his head in her lap.

_Shit._

Silence filled the car, as thick and potent as the darkness which surrounded it. Miroku stared ahead through the grimy windshield, watching the dull, soft slush-coloured road surface flash under the car and past, and rubbed idly at the palm of his right hand.

:0:

"A miko?"

Naraku frowned at Byakuya, appearing intent on the youkai while simultaneously turning this new development over in his mind. _A miko… and claw marks on Hiten's armour…_

"Get out," he told Byakuya suddenly. The youkai looked up at him quizzically, and Naraku stood up abruptly. "Did you mishear me?"

"No, no! I'm going," said Byakuya, putting up his hands defensively. Naraku sat back down as he left the room, and seethed. _Perhaps it wasn't them… after all, plenty of youkai possess claws, and Kikyou couldn't possibly have been the only miko hanging about._

_But how many youkai…or hanyou… would be caught hanging around with one?_

Either way, this would be an impediment to his plans. He would have to take care of it after he dealt with Kagura's task, however…

:0:

The sky above the city lightened slowly. It was a grey day, neither sunny nor threatening rain, and the sun was lost behind layer upon layer of thick pale cloud. Most of the vehicles weren't out yet, so the streets were all but completely empty—it couldn't be much later than six oclock in the morning.

"So, anyplace in particular you want to be dropped off at?" asked Taru, looking sideways at Miroku.

"Oh… how about the corner at Davenhurst and Hawthorn?" asked Miroku, choosing the first intersection that came to mind so as to seem natural.

"Sure thing," said Taru, turning the wheel and heading down a side street while Miroku turned to look back at the two passengers.

Sango was cuddling Kirara in both arms, leaning against her window as she slept. Inuyasha, who had fought mightily (and in vain) to maintain at least a semblance of wakefulness, had his head craned back at quite an angle against the seat behind him and was snoring faintly.

"Hey," said Miroku quietly. "Wake up." Taru turned down another street, and Miroku could see the street corner he'd asked for approaching through the receding dimness.

Sango blinked and sat up, pulling the softly purring Kirara closer to her chest. "We're…" she looked out the window. "I guess we're here."

"Inu-uh, Sharia…" said Miroku, reaching through the gap between the front seats to tap Inuyasha's knee. "We're in the city."

Inuyasha frowned, swearing inwardly upon realizing that he had fallen asleep, and opened his eyes to find himself staring at the ceiling of the car. Immediately he straightened his neck and made sure to glare at Miroku's retreating arm, only to be overtaken by a sudden wash of pain from one of the wounds in his side. He hissed in a sharp breath, though his expression never changed.

The car pulled over to an oddly slush-free curb, and Miroku fished around in his pocket briefly. "Thank you," he told Taru. "I have money, if you want payment…"

"Money?" Taru paused, peering sideways at him. "Well… I certainly wouldn't be averse to it…"

Miroku counted out a few bills and handed them over. "Now we aren't such freeloaders," he said, smiling as he opened his door. He walked over to Inuyasha's door as the hanyou felt around the inside for a handle or button, and opened it as well as Sango stepped lightly out of her own side, pulling the Hiraikotsu over the seats and out with her.

"You'd better be more careful with that, Miss," said Taru, looking over his shoulder at her. "That thing could be dangerous if you swing it the wrong way."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Miroku told her blandly from over the roof of the car. She hefted the boomerang and glanced at him, sighing.

Once they were all out of the car, Miroku waved to Taru, and watched as the car pulled out.

Beside the long, slanting shadow of a lamppost, Sango held Kirara close to her chest, running her fingers through the short tan fur. It felt somehow at once relieving, exhausting and terrifying to know that she was back in the same city as her now-abandoned house, and as her brother and the sick freak who had kidnapped him. She fought down the urge to bury her face in her arms, and instead looked around at the small group she had found herself in.

"So," she asked, directing her question at Miroku. "What do we do now?"

Miroku smiled. "I have an idea."

**:00:00:**

I have no excuse. Really, this time I don't. I guess I was pretty much AWOL, at least as far as this story is concerned. How long has it been? Nine months or so?

I had this chapter completed a few months ago, actually, but I wasn't very happy with it and my beta seems to have vanished, so I put off uploading until… well, now. I'm very sorry to anyone who was waiting for it… it certainly took long enough and I know _I'd_ be annoyed at an author who did the same to me.

I initially had plans to put in an author's note about wanting some feedback on this story (because I have the feeling something is wrong, but I'm not sure what)—but instead I think I'll replace it with a query about anyone willing to beta an extremely slow-updating story and leave it at that. XD

…Anyone want to beta an extremely slow-updating story? 8D


	20. Rest

**Chapter 20**

The ride back to Aneston had been long, and awkward, and silent. Mrs. Higurashi did not say anything at all, which made Kagome's sense of being in trouble increase tenfold. By the time Mrs. Higurashi pulled up in front of the familiar storefront, her daughter would have liked nothing better than to curl up under the covers in bed and never climb out.

Kagome waited quietly on the sidewalk as her mother unlocked the door, and then followed her inside. She paused just inside the door, staring at the floor, and Mrs. Higurashi turned around on her way to the back.

"Kagome," she said. "Hurry up."

Kagome raised her head slightly, watching her mother's dark shape as it put a hand to its hip. "But I… aren't I in trouble?" she whispered.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "We'll talk later, Kagome. Right now, you need to go to bed. I won't press you for explanations while you've been up all night."

This delay in what Kagome assumed to be an inevitable punishment did not alleviate the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. She nodded, swallowing, and followed her mother to the back of the shop.

She couldn't even decide what to worry about the most—the trouble she was doubtless in, for keeping things from her mother… her family, and whether whatever had been going on for the last few days would continue to affect them… Inuyasha, and Miroku; where they were, and whether they were okay or even still alive…

She held in a moan at the bewildering tide of thoughts which streamed through her head as she walked slowly to her bedroom. _What do I do now? Is there anything left?_

_Will I ever see either of them again?_

Somehow the more rational thought, that she was probably better off and safer with them back out of her life, was drowned out instead by a rush of leaden sadness. She kept her head down, biting on her lower lip and trying to keep her chin from quivering. Her chest felt tight, as if something were tightening an invisible band around it. Keeping her eyes carefully averted from the empty spare bedroom, she walked to her own room.

_At the very least…_

Despite all the thoughts which likely would otherwise have kept her awake, Kagome had been up for so long that falling asleep was almost instantaneous.

…_I hope they're still alive…_

**::00::::00::**

The streets were still mostly dark; Inuyasha was weak from blood loss and the blows he'd taken, and everyone was tired. Miroku debated inwardly. The group was in no state to be picky right now, and a long search would just result in crankiness. Miroku himself wasn't in the mood to haggle, either. None of them had a home to go back to, and traveling too far at this point would not be a good idea.

"This will do," said Miroku, putting a hand to his chin as he surveyed his find.

"Hoss-tell?" Inuyasha read off one of the signs in the front, while Sango eyed the front door in weary distaste.

"We can rent out a small space and rest in it for now—all day if we have to, more if necessary. They won't provide much, but we can worry about that later." Miroku smiled. "And it's inexpensive."

Sango's hand clenched slightly around the handle of the Hiraikotsu as they walked in the door. The lobby was a small, cramped space, with wooden wainscoting on the walls and a large, heavy desk taking up a good half of the space. The elderly man sitting behind it looked up sharply, glasses flashing a smudged yellow in the half-light from the lamp.

"Hello," he said, moving some papers around as he eyed them from behind the dirty lenses of his wire-rims. "Yoshida Hostel service, may I help you?" The door closed with a faint hiss.

Miroku approached the desk, motioning for Sango and Inuyasha to stay where they were. "Hello, sir," he said pleasantly. "I'd like to rent some space here for tonight… me and my two friends there."

The old man's gaze flicked from him to the two standing at the door, lingering on the Hiraikotsu which Sango was still keeping behind her body, and on the disguised Inuyasha's tense posture. "You three…" he said, slowly, returning his eyes to Miroku, "look like trouble."

"Oh, we won't cause any, I promise," said Miroku, smiling still and waving a hand as if trying to wave away the old man's suspicions. "My name is Miroku Tanaka…"

"Miroku… Tanaka?" the old man echoed in a quiet hiss, suddenly sitting up in his seat. A paper fluttered to the ground. "Yuusuke's boy?"

Miroku closed his eyes and nodded imperceptibly, trying not to smile. "I need a space for today, and possibly tomorrow night… and I couldn't think of anyplace more trustworthy than this one."

The old man blinked at him, before inclining his head, and sorting through his papers. "You would be right on that count, young Miroku..." he pulled a single sheet out from a pile of others and slid it forward on the surface of the desk, disappearing beneath the surface briefly before reappearing with a pen.

"You just need to fill out this paperwork, and then I will show you to the space we have available," said the old man, rearranging his glasses as Miroku stepped forward to do just that. He looked past Miroku to the two still standing by the door. "And you two, you're friends of his?"

Sango nodded, and Inuyasha grunted. The old man smiled suddenly. "Ah, that's nice. We don't get too many travelers out here, so there's not much demand for temporary rooming… and more than half of the time, we have to turn them away. There are lots of suspicious people around these days… makes it hard to keep up a place like this, even though my daughter does make more than enough money to maintain it…"

Sango smiled creakily. "I would imagine." Inuyasha was staring at the floor.

Miroku pushed the sheet of paper back across the desk, and the old man picked it up and scanned it briefly, then smiled up at Miroku. "All right… I'll show you to your accommodations, then."

He pushed himself slowly up from the desk, proving to be not quite tall enough to reach Miroku's elbow. His joints creaked faintly as he levered himself off the chair and around the edge of the heavy wooden object, pressing a key into Miroku's hand before moving to a nondescript green-painted door to his right. Sango and Inuyasha finally moved away from the front door as the old man opened the second door, revealing a corridor.

"Your space will be the second door to your left," he told them, pointing to the door in question as they walked past him to enter the corridor. "I hope that you have a good stay."

As Miroku passed, he patted him on the shoulder with a smile, before turning back to the desk and closing the door, leaving them in the even dimmer light of the hall. The walls were completely made of wood, heightening the gloomy atmosphere.

Silence reigned as they made their way to the room, broken only by the sound of Miroku unlocking the door and opening it with a creak. The room they had been allotted was extremely bare; a dusty wooden floor, four bare mattresses, a single lightbulb in the ceiling, and one barred and curtained window, through which thin rays of dusty, early-morning sunlight streamed. They walked in, footsteps whispering on the floor.

Sango turned to Miroku as he closed the door behind them. "Do you know that old man?" she asked.

Miroku shook his head. "No… but my father did. He mentioned this hostel once… he'd done a favour for old Mr. Yoshida, who I assume greeted us on our way in."

She continued to gaze at him, her expression thoughtful. "…So your father is Yuusuke Tanaka..."

Abruptly Miroku broke out in a cold sweat. He forced down the rising panic immediately. He'd come here in part for the privacy they would be offered, so that he could explain certain important things to them both—chances were, as all of their fates seemed to have been connected even prior to them meeting, his father's name _would_ ring a bell for her. He gave his inner self a hefty kick for even caring about that at this point—soon everything would be out in the open, at least the parts that mattered.

Inuyasha kicked one of the mattresses warily, shifting it a foot or so diagonally, neatly breaking off both of their trains of thought.

"Ah yes…" said Miroku. "The primary reason for our coming here: I believe we all are in need of some rest, and explanations. In that order. Inuyasha, you for one need to lie down."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why should I?"

Miroku smiled at him as he sat down on the edge of his own mattress and pulled off his shoes. Sango was laying the Hiraikotsu carefully on the floor. "If not to preserve your own health, then so as to not be bored out your wits while I and Sango try to sleep. None of us did last night, do remember."

Inuyasha scowled darkly, searching for words. "…Keh!"

As Sango stretched out on her own mattress, he maintained the scowl, turning away from them to face the window—only to be brought up short by one of Miroku's shoes hitting him squarely on the back of the head. He actually staggered before he could stop himself, whirling to growl murderously at the culprit, who looked blandly at him with another shoe at the ready.

"Just lie down already," said Miroku. _If I had my staff…_

Inuyasha growled at him once more for good measure, then lowered himself onto the mattress closest the window, wincing soundlessly as bending over pulled at newly-healing wounds. He cupped a hand to his left side, gauging whether or not anything had actually opened, and whether it would bleed enough to stain the mattress—it seemed fine enough, if painful, so he lay down on his right side and closed his eyes.

…_Damn bouzu…_

**::00::::00::**

Kagura was sitting on the couch, legs pulled up close to her body, and filing her nails when Naraku called again. She stood up and walked across the room to turn off the television before picking it up.

"Yes," she said sharply into the receiver, holding it gingerly to her face.

"You're getting slow, Kagura," said Naraku.

"I wouldn't be able to hear you with the television on," said Kagura, resuming her position on the couch. She deposited the file beside the telephone.

"Well," said Naraku. "I have your instructions, if you're not too busy to hear them."

Kagura could almost _hear_ his smirk. If she ever were too busy for his instructions, he could and most definitely would see to it that she dearly regretted it. "Of course not. Go on."

"Tankyuusha is going to deliver some objects to a local museum—some very valuable artifacts, foremost among them being a pair of antique swords. Do you know this?"

"Yes, it was in the paper today," said Kagura.

"The exhibit is being set up in three days' time; the area of the museum will be roped away and off-limits to patrons, so you will have to be discreet. Your task is to observe the proceedings, and notably the security provided for the swords, and report back to me. Look for weaknesses, specifically; if you have the opportunity to create one without being detected, then by all means do so, and then tell me."

Kagura paused, startled. _He means to… steal the swords? But why couldn't he just…_ "Very well, sir. I will go then. Am I to be alone?"

"Yes, Kagura. A large party will be more likely to be detected, after all."

_Why so much secrecy, Naraku? Why not just barrel in and steal them, as you doubtless can? Or is there something more to this… Genken Tankyuusha?_

"All right. I'll start preparing today. Do I get any equipment?" Kagura twisted a lock of black hair around her finger.

"Of course," said Naraku. "You will receive a visit tomorrow from a certain youkai. I believe that is all the information you need at the moment; good day, Kagura."

A click sounded over the line, and Kagura hung up, perplexed. She hugged her knees to her body, staring at the black screen of the television.

_Why?_

**::00::::00::**

Sorry for the somewhat shorter-than-standard chapter—over the next few days, if I have time, I will be reading over this story to see if I can get back into the Inuyasha-writing groove (blasphemous as it is, I seem to have left fandom writing behind in large part—I've been spending my time writing and drawing a webcomic and drawing lots of Jak fanart in paintchat and on Photoshop).

If I can stay in the writing mood and remember about FFN, I'll change my profile page to state the status of chapter 21. Sorry for leaving anyone reading this story hanging for so long.

Oh yes; as you may notice, I've changed the genres of the story again. Romance is now General; not because I don't mean for romance to eventually be forthcoming, but because it's not here yet after 20 chapters and even once introduced, won't likely get much farther than perhaps a kiss or two within the frame of this story.


	21. Exposition

The sun was beginning to set when Miroku awoke, though the evening was so overcast as to only allow the faintest of dull grey

The sun was beginning to set when Miroku awoke, though the evening was so overcast as to only allow the faintest of dull grey light to shine through the curtains of the hostel window. He sat up on the bare mattress and looked around the room.

Sango and Inuyasha appeared to still be fast asleep, the former lying on her side. He allowed his eyes to rest on her for a moment, smiling faintly—her winter clothing did little to hide her slender, distinctly feminine frame. Her sleeping face was relaxed, mouth open ever so slightly, and he watched her for another few moments before stretching and standing up.

Very quietly, so as to hopefully not wake up either of the room's other occupants, he moved to the door, opening it softly and moving out into the corridor.

Mr. Yoshida was putting away some of the paperwork on the desk, presumably preparing to lock up for the night, and looked up when Miroku entered the room.

"You know, usually guests who arrive here before midafternoon leave their bags here and explore the city," said the older man, watching Miroku. "In fact, usually the guests here don't actually live close by. I presume your presence has something to do with what happened to your father?"

"In a sense," said Miroku carefully, easing the door to the side corridor shut behind himself. "How much do you know about it?"

"Only what I heard through the news programs and the papers," said Mr. Yoshida, closing a drawer and sitting down at the desk, keeping his bespectacled eyes on Miroku the while. "There was an explosion in your father's labs—unknown cause, they say, although given that the nature of a laboratory is to conduct experiments, nobody really read too much into it. Mistakes happen. His son was believed to have died in the blast, though no body was found in the wreckage."

"Right." Miroku rubbed a finger against his chin, leaning back against the closed door. "…What do you, yourself, know about what happened?"

"What I just told you," said Mr. Yoshida blandly. Miroku stared back, expression equally blank, and at last the old man sighed. "Look, boy… I last spoke to your father a very long time ago. I only knew enough about what he—and you, I suppose, though you were very small then—was studying to know that it could very well be dangerous enough to have caused that explosion on its own. He didn't think so then, but I knew." He paused. "I also know that if you tell me anything here it will only get us both in trouble."

Miroku closed his eyes for a moment, breathing a laugh. "True enough. I meant to come out here to tell you not to speak of our visit, but I suppose that would have been unnecessary."

"Right you would be," said Mr. Yoshida. He opened another drawer and looked up at Miroku directly. "Why don't you get back to your room now?"

Feeling only a little bit ridiculous, Miroku nodded and opened the door to the corridor again.

Inuyasha was sitting up and watching the door when he reentered quietly. Miroku raised an eyebrow to his amber gaze.

"Did you think I'd left?" Miroku asked, glancing towards where Sango seemed to be stirring.

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh! I wouldn't put it past you, bouzu."

Miroku allowed himself a faint smile. "I'm wounded, Inuyasha, that you would have so little faith in me. Now Sango, she wouldn't have immediately jumped to conclusions, would she?" The faint smile turned into a radiant, beaming grin which he turned upon the half-awake girl on the other mattress.

Sango blinked at him, confused and pushing herself up sleepily on one arm. "Wha?"

Clapping his hands together (but quietly, in case there were other patrons in the hostel—unlikely, as touristry had gone down so much in the last couple of decades that he was surprised Mr. Yoshida could even maintain the place), Miroku closed the door and sat down on his own pseudo-bed. "Anyway. Now that it seems everyone's awake, there are some things we need to discuss."

Before Inuyasha could say something defensive, he raised one hand. "All of us. I will start; there should be no secrets between us at this point, since it looks as though we're all on the same side now. There's nothing any of us has left to lose." _Except perhaps Inuyasha's pride…here's where he'll make some disgruntled noise._

"Keh!"

Sango appeared to be wide awake now, sitting and regarding Miroku intently with dark brown eyes. "You'll… trust me with your story?" she said hesitantly after a moment, meeting his eyes as he looked over at her with a faint smile. "Even though we just met?"

"And what a meeting it was," said Miroku, laughing. "No… you're just as involved in whatever's going on as both of us are, perhaps from a different direction. And we'd be easy pickings right now if you tried to kill us—I'm too tired still to put up much of a defense, and I think Inuyasha's little better."

"…Keh!"

Miroku moved on his mattress until he was as far away from the door as it was possible to get without sitting on the floor. Sango leaned forward and despite himself, Inuyasha did too. With the last dusky orange streaks of sunlight fading through the curtains, the single lightbulb glowing a dim orange, Miroku leaned back on his elbows and gestured to himself.

"Ask away, then."

Sango raised an eyebrow, then laced her hands together between her knees. "Okay… you said your father is Yuusuke Tanaka, earlier. How much do you know about his work?"

Miroku's smile felt tight and wrong on his face, but he kept it up anyway. "Everything."

Sango blinked. "…Everything?"

"He trained me in all that he knew," said Miroku, training his gaze on one of the top corners of the room. "I know all of the magical laws that he discovered, how to use the ofuda, and how to sense demonic and spiritual energies. I also know about his work with a group called the Core, who were trying to suppress humanity's knowledge of the existence of demons." He looked at Sango. "He was working towards the end goal of finding a way to have demons and humans coexist peacefully… although he didn't have much hope of it happening within his own lifetime."

Sango drew in a short breath. Inuyasha's eyes were narrow as he watched them both, although the rest of his expression still spoke of confusion.

"He spoke to my mother a lot," said the hanyou after a moment, his voice almost imperceptibly strained. "Back when you lived near us. He… whatever he was working for…"

"You were a key part of it, yes," said Miroku, shifting his gaze to Inuyasha. "Proof that demons and humans could most definitely get along, for one thing." His smile turned wry. "And that they were closely enough related, biologically speaking, to… result in you."

Sango's eyes widened, and she turned to look at Inuyasha. "You're a half-breed?" In response to Inuyasha's sudden flush, she gaped at him. "But that's supposed to be impossible!"

Miroku shrugged. "As you can see, it isn't. Unfortunately, those who currently know this can probably be counted on one hand since… since the explosions, and skirmishes with a certain group of demons who wish to maintain the status quo."

"…Naraku," said Sango, her voice quiet, and Miroku looked over at her with a frown.

"Yes. I don't know his exact whereabouts, but my father and the people he worked with up until their deaths knew that name. They were trying to stop him."

"He's a demon," said Sango, her voice still soft. She looked down at the floor between her knees. "He's insinuated himself into the government somehow—my father was the head of the Taijiya. They were trying to find out who he is and to get him out of the picture, somehow."

Miroku thumbed his chin contemplatively. "That would be a tricky job… I was given the impression that he is very old, and very experienced at what he does." He leaned back on his elbows again after a moment. "In any case, he seems to be the main figure responsible for keeping humans in the dark about the existence of demons for the last few centuries. All for the sake of keeping himself in a position of power."

"So that's it?" said Inuyasha incredulously, his claws digging into the edge of the mattress on either side of him. "That's the whole reason why I've been hunted down my entire life? So some fucking lowlife demon can keep his cushy government job?" The fabric of the mattress made a distressed tearing noise, the thin, old fabric parting easily, and Miroku waved a shoe at him.

"Watch out, Inuyasha! We might have to pay for that if you damage it." He paused. "That is, _I_ might have to pay for it."

"Fuck that," Inuyasha began, his voice a growl, only to be interrupted by Sango.

"No," she said, propping her elbows on her knees and leaning her shin on her interlaced fingers. "No, I think there may be more to whatever he's planning than that. There has to be. Not even a demon would do so much for such little purpose."

"How do you fucking know?" snarled Inuyasha. "You're just a human! What makes you think you know how demons think?"

"Maybe I don't know how Naraku thinks," Sango countered. "But even youkai have reasons for what they do—they wouldn't put all that effort into chasing something down, killing so many people, if they had nothing to gain from it."

Inuyasha's pupils were narrowed slits, eyes glowing golden in the dim light. He looked more inhuman than Miroku had ever seen him. It took him a moment to speak. "You know so little," he said, voice unusually soft given the fury in his expression. "There are monsters out there that you probably couldn't even _imagine_—"

"Yes, yes," Miroku said hastily, causing both of them to look sharply over at him. "I think we are all well aware of that. However, in this case I have to agree with Sango."

Sango blinked.

"There does seem to have been a purpose to many of Naraku's actions," said Miroku, leaning back on the heels of his hands. "Trying to find the jewel… his involvement with the results of my father's research… He has been known to have involved himself in quite a few establishments specializing in spiritual magic, and I am afraid he may have something to do with Kagome as well."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he apparently forgot his anger. "With Kagome?"

Miroku looked over at him calmly. "I think, Inuyasha, it is time that you told your end of the story. I have a few suspicions, but nothing that can be substantiated." _Who is this Kikyou?_

Inuyasha blinked and sputtered as he found both of their eyes focused on him. "Wh—I… Keh!" He shifted backwards along his mattress slightly as all of his usual responses flitted through his mind. _What makes you think…_

Miroku's eyes, however, told him that he knew all of what might come. After a moment Inuyasha snarled and backed up to lean against the wall, studiously avoiding both of their gazes to instead glare intently at his own hands locked together over his knees. "Fine."

After a moment of expectant silence, he looked up again, the sullen anger shifting to gain a tinge of mild embarassment. "Uh… where do you want me to start?" he said.

"From the beginning, I suppose," said Miroku. "Perhaps from when you met Kikyou."

Inuyasha frowned anew, lowering his gaze once more. "...I think I met her a bit after you left for the city," he said, addressing Miroku without looking at him. "I think she came for the same reason you did, too—that she could help fix the situation somehow. They wanted to use me to get humans and youkai to accept each other, somehow."

Miroku nodded slightly. "I remember that. It might have worked back then, too—our parents were part of a group working towards that very aim. At that time there were some very charismatic, very effective people helping… You would have been the perfect symbol for them to use."

Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Sure. You wanna finish the story, then?"

"No," said Miroku mildly. "There are still things you know that neither of us do. However, I believe that there are some parts of your story that you may not know all the sides of."

"…Keh!" Inuyasha leaned back, scowling at the far wall. _Everyone knows things I don't._ And how did Miroku know that this was new information to him, anyway? After another moment of Miroku and Sango watching him with identical expressions of expectation, he rolled his eyes and then continued.

"Whatever. Kikyou was another part of that scheme. She was a miko, apparently a really strong one… she was supposed to stop the… the instability."

Miroku leaned forwards. "She was _born_ with spiritual powers?" he said, somewhat startled. "…How did that come about?"

"Damned if I know." Inuyasha scowled. "I was a kid, okay? Nobody explained much of this shit to me."

"Well, whatever she did… did it work?" asked Miroku, still peering with interest at Inuyasha.

"…I… I think so," said Inuyasha, gaze dropping to the floor. "…It… I haven't…"

Miroku noticed Sango's confused face and turned towards her briefly. "The instability that we mentioned… Inuyasha used to have periods wherein his youkai blood would rise and temporarily obliterate his sentience. Completely unpredictable, too. He also would turn human for a night every month, though that didn't cause the trouble the other one did… is that still happening, too?"

Inuyasha hesitated a moment before nodding shortly. His face was tense and wary, irritated with having the secrets of his life being examined.

Sango nodded slowly. "I see. So they wanted to prevent this from happening?"

"Kikyou managed it," Inuyasha growled, pulling his knees up to his chest. "She stopped it all. _All_ of it. It was like coming out of a fog… but it didn't stay unless she was around. They were talking about finding a permanent way."

"What happened then?" asked Miroku.

"Then… I don't know. Youkai attacked. Different ones—they killed the guards before Mother even realized anything was wrong. Using human bodies… so that no one could sense anything. Real humans. The youkai followed after…" Izayoi had carried him away, into the forest, but it hadn't worked. His strongest memory of her face was of that moment—watching her tearfully from the bole of a tree as she frantically scooped leaves over him and told him to _be still, don't move, don't make a sound…_

That also hadn't worked. The next memory he had was of being dragged out by hands and laughing voices, seeing her crumpled on the ground with her legs three feet away, and the clearing dissolving in the onslaught of a red, hideous fury.

"Ah." Somehow, Miroku had the sense not to pry further there. "…So, you survived and went on to live in the forest by yourself?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" snarled Inuyasha. "Run to the nearest town for help? I'm a _freak_. They wouldn't even believe that I was real, let alone take me in. And I'm fucking well not going to go looking to youkai for help." He glared at them both. "I can survive perfectly well on my own, anyway."

"I'm not arguing with your judgement," said Miroku hastily, holding up his hands. "No. But to continue… you met Kikyou again, later, didn't you?"

This was getting a little bit too recent for comfort. Inuyasha nodded.

"When?"

"…Maybe a year ago…" Inuyasha leaned forwards slightly, gaze still averted, though his voice was tight with the effort of forcing himself to continue. "She found me… I'm not sure how. She'd been on the run too, living on her own, but within human society. I happened to be nearby when… uh… anyway, she sensed my presence."

Miroku nodded slightly, watching, and after a moment Inuyasha continued.

"She was… she'd been looking for me. And said she had found out a way to stop… everything. That she could turn me into… into a human."

Miroku and Sango blinked as one.

"A human?" Miroku echoed. "And… you agreed to this?"

"You…" Sango began, and then trailed off.

"Fuck off," said Inuyasha, quietly. "I'm not going to tell you any more."

"No, there is more yet that we need to hear," said Miroku. "What happened, right before I met you? We need to—"

"There is no more!" Inuyasha snarled, digging his nails into the edge of the mattress as if to keep himself from launching at Miroku's throat. "We met, and she fucking shot me! That's all! I have no idea why."

"Hmm." Miroku rubbed at his chin, giving little indication of having noticed the hanyou's ire. Sango looked between the two of them nervously. "There was really no hint of it beforehand?"

"If there had been, why the fuck would I have _gone_?!"

"All right, all right!" Miroku gave a small placating wave. "I'll leave it for now. Try to keep your voice down."

Inuyasha uttered a wordless growl, accompanied by the brief sound of tearing fabric.

Miroku sighed. "I suppose it's my turn now." He turned to Sango. "Did you by chance know of my father?"

"Yuusuke Tanaka," said Sango softly. "…I don't know much."

"You probably know of him as a scientist, with several labs and connections to most of the bigger businesses in the city." Miroku held up a hand when Sango opened her mouth to say something. "If you do know otherwise, I'll get to that, but for now, this was his public persona.

"While he did start off working with physical sciences, he found out very early on about certain… forces, which under the right circumstances could be controlled and acted an awful lot like magic. Of course, he immersed himself in testing all of its limits and how it could be manipulated; in doing so he got himself involved with the magical underworld, including youkai of all forms and various humans who had discovered these forces as well.

"There was a group of people who wanted to find a way to get the general public to accept youkai, for both groups to come to coexist in some hopefully peaceful way. There were obstacles here—one being that most humans don't believe youkai are even real, let alone be willing to work alongside them at the corner store. Youkai don't make that any easier, trying to hide all the time. But my father… he was working alongside them."

Miroku glanced at Inuyasha, who had been watching him silently with narrowed eyes the while. "One thing they needed was a symbol. The perfect option would be a hanyou, but hanyou are rare—and one who was not born either monstrous or insane, rarer still. This is why he, and by proxy I, became involved with you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha muttered something that sounded like 'knew that part,' but kept his eyes on Miroku.

"At any rate… his interests after awhile pulled him back to the city. He trained me to use the magical forces he had discovered—we use objects called ofuda to control them."

Sango nodded, familiar with the concept already. "Your father… I believe he was in contact with mine. We were given ofuda paper in batches to use in certain jobs."

Miroku gave her a startled glance before continuing, somewhat slower than before. "…In any case… This last year. My father told me that he'd discovered something unsettling about the forces he'd taught me about, and that I shouldn't use them any further until he had looked into it. Then one night he called me while I was out—said he'd uncovered the problem, something was tainting the magic and I wasn't to come near the laboratory until he said I could." He gave a faint, wan smile. "That was when I saw the smoke and went running, of course… when I got there…" _Long story short._ "He told me that someone had been interfering with the magic that was available to humans, and that a curse would befall everyone who tried to use it." He hesitated briefly. "Essentially, the magic would begin to wear away at the user's body and eventually break away from their control." _And then he died._

Sango watched him quietly; Inuyasha sat in silence, hands resting lightly on his knees. Miroku looked up again after a moment.

"…At any rate. I believe that the someone who placed this little trap may be the same one who arranged your mishap in the forest, Inuyasha," he said, looking over at the hanyou. "And possibly the one responsible for Sango's current circumstances."

"Naraku," said Sango quietly.

**:00:00:**

lol.


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